Pfizer expands ‘An Accord for a Healthier World’ program to bridge global health equity gap

An expansion of Pfizer’s not-for-profit health equity program will offer up to 500 patented and off-patent products to 45 lower-income countries, building on their initial offering of patented medicines and vaccines in the US and EU.

‘An Accord for a Healthier World’ was launched in May 2022 as part of a commitment from Pfizer to provide access to its full portfolio of patented medicines and vaccines in the US and EU. The program also aimed to reach 1.2 billion people in 45 countries classed as lower-income, targeting the treatment of some cancers, infectious diseases, and inflammatory diseases. In November, Pfizer deployed the first Global Health Team to Rwanda to identify opportunities for long-term supply chain optimization. Additional collaborations with the Ministries of Health in Malawi, Ghana, and Senegal aim to better understand the healthcare needs for each community and discover opportunities for strengthening the existing healthcare systems. 

Chairman and CEO of Pfizer Albert Bourla commented: “We launched the Accord to help reduce the glaring health equity gap that exists in our world. Our hope is to empower country governments and co-create solutions with them and other multi-sector partners to break down many of the system-level barriers to better health.” 

The expansion of this program will now include off-patent products, increasing the number of available treatments from 23 to nearly 500 therapeutics and vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious and non-communicable diseases prevalent in lower-income countries. These treatments include chemotherapies, oral cancer medications, and a wide range of antibiotics to address a rise in prevalence, mortality, and costs incurred by antimicrobial resistance. The program is projected to prevent 1.5 million deaths associated with bacterial infections in community health clinics and hospitals. 

Commenting on the need to close the health equity gap, Bourla added: “In the months since the Accord’s launch, we have heard resoundingly from these leaders that access to a broader and more immediate scope of consistent, high-quality products is needed for meaningful and sustainable transformation. We believe this expansion of our product offering, combined with continued efforts to help address the barriers that limit or prevent access, will help us to achieve and even expedite our vision of a world where all people have access to the medicines and vaccines they need to live longer and healthier lives.” 

Sources  

[i] Pfizer Expands ‘An Accord for a Healthier World’ Product Offering to Include Full Portfolio for Greater Benefit to 1.2 Billion People in 45 Lower-Income Countries | Pfizer 

[ii] Pfizer to Offer Full Portfolio of Medicines to 1.2 Billion People in Lower-Income Countries on Not-for-profit Basis - ESG Today