Welcoming the Global Health Initiative final report – Not the final word
05.12.13
“The Global Health Initiative: Recommendations from Public Debates” outlines the outcomes of these discussions. The debates explored topics ranging from technology transfer in third countries, to challenges in ensuring access to medicines – from affordability to supply chain issues. The various topics addressed show just how complex the global health problems we face are – and affirm, to me, the need for multifaceted solutions that bring together different stakeholders. The recommendations that resulted from these discussions, as outlined in the final report, are a step towards this end, but they are not the final word. While it’s not the “final answer”, it makes good progress in advancing the conversation towards finding real-world solutions to global health problems. That was the intent of the GHI: Not necessarily to find final answers, but to move the discussion forward.
I’m proud of EFPIA’s participation and facilitation of the Global Health Initiative – not just on EFPIA’s behalf but because I feel that this is yet another good step forward in ensuring that the pharmaceutical industry is involved in global health activities. I have written previously on how we are seeing greater acceptance of “big pharma” participating in discussions surrounding global health – something which was not always the case in the past. The pharmaceutical industry has a big role in shaping global health, thanks to its role in developing new and improved medicines for patients. From our side, we need to acknowledge and embrace that responsibility, and ensure we are active in global health discussions. Other stakeholders likewise need to acknowledge the pharmaceutical industry’s role – and be open to discussing global health topics with the pharmaceutical industry at the table.
This is what the Global Health Initiative did very well – bringing together diverse stakeholders alongside the pharmaceutical industry, to sit at the table and discuss common global health problems and explore possible solutions. Global Health problems are common problems. In his introduction to the Global Health Initiatives final report, Commissioner Tonio Borg notes, “Global health is an area which concern all of us”. I couldn’t agree more. And this is exactly why all of us, from big pharma to NGOs, governments and more, need to do our part in collaborating on addressing global health issues. It is clear that my companies have to deliver profits to the people that invest in risky projects, but all the professionals in the companies are driven by the idea that the results of our research reach patients all around the world – whether rich or poor. I and other policy makers have a duty to make that happen.
