“34th Special Breakfast Meeting on 2016 Access to Medicine Index” was convened on November 24, 2016, jointly with the Access to Medicine Foundation from the Netherlands.

In this Special Breakfast Meeting, we invited Dr. Jayasree K. lyer, the Executive Director of the Access to Medicine Foundation, which ranks the world’s 20 largest research-based pharmaceutical companies according to their practice in improving access to medicine. This special breakfast meeting became an opportunity to delve into the prospects of Japan’s role and policy agendas as a leader in global health.

In the Q&A session, Dr. Jay and participants had a meaningful and interactive discussions over the “expensive drug pricing mechanism”, “sustainability for the R&D”, and the “future portfolio of Access to Medicine Foundation’s projects”.

“Access to medicine” is a fundamental social right that guarantees essential medications and quality healthcare services to those in need. However, there are more than 2 billion people around the world who live beyond the reach of adequate and affordable medicine. In this context, urgent actions at international levels through public private partnerships are imperative. Dr. Jayasree K. lyer of Access to Medicine Foundation presented the newly published 2016 Index, elaborating on its 4 key concepts, 7 technical areas, and 20 detailed company report cards. Through the presentation and Q&A session with the floor, high expectation on Japanese companies was expressed. 

*Thank you very much to ATM Foundation for their generous kindness that allow us to share their handouts.