Above and Beyond

Angie DrakulichWhen our team set out to cover how pharmaceutical companies are addressing issues of global healthcare, including providing access to medicines to those who need it most, we were amazed at the high level of corporate philanthropy. A simple flip through the Developing World Health Partnerships Directory highlights this fact. The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA) publishes the directory each year, and the 2010 edition showcases more than 200 programs carried out by pharma, nongovernmental and nonprofit organizations, governments, charities, and global partnerships. The groups are working to develop and deliver treatments that target diseases prevalent within developing nations. Research and development (R&D) efforts, for example, focus on HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and chronic and tropical diseases.

Much of the work being done also includes educational/awareness programs, capacity building, transportation, infrastructure, and technical support. Most all of the programs correlate directly with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well. The MDGs, many of which target health and healthcare, aim to reduce extreme poverty worldwide.

The directory can be searched online at www.ifpma.org/healthpartnerships. Also of interest is the 2010 Access to Medicines Index, a publication put out by the international Access to Medicine Foundation. This index (www.accesstomedicineindex.org) analyzes and ranks access-to-medicines efforts of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. Check out PharmTech's ongoing coverage of the pharmaceutical industry's efforts to improve global healthcare beginning next month.

Angie Drakulich is the managing editor of Pharmaceutical Technology.