Over the past few decades, technology advancements have radically improved global access to health practitioners and diagnoses.
Even in rural areas and lower-income countries, patients are frequently now able to communicate with medical professionals via telemedicine – a resource that was previously unheard of. This has made healthcare more accessible, but without a way to ‘download’ actual medicine, availability challenges remain. According to the World Health Organization, two billion people across the globe still don’t have access to basic medicine.
The big pharmaceuticals companies, however, increasingly understand the need to address this issue urgently. The recent decision by US pharma giant, Pfizer – to offer all its patented drugs on a not-for-profit basis to 45 lower-income countries – points to a new trend for the sector’s leading players. A trend that will ultimately make their products more affordable and accessible to the world’s poorest people.
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