With sustainable development goals in mind, the global umbrella pharmaceutical association IFPMA has recently launched a platform that fosters collaboration with the aim of tackling problems related to health and equality through partnerships between biopharma companies, governments, academia and other local institutions.
Effective partnerships will help our innovations to grow, reaching more patients worldwide.
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) represents innovative biopharmaceutical companies and associations around the world. It is an umbrella organisation which is composed of R&D-based pharmaceutical companies and national associations of pharmaceutical companies. IFPMA’s aim is to be a unique, informed, and credible voice in conversation with the global health community to address the many challenges in public health policy for current and future generations. (Source: IFPMA)
IFPMA is proud to announce the launch of Global Health Progress, an interactive platform of resources with a spotlight on collaborations between the biopharmaceutical industry and other partners in support of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 goals were originally conceived “as a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all” by the year 2030, and focus on critical issues such as poverty, hunger, education, infrastructure, climate, energy, peace, equality, health, and sustainability. (Source: UN.org)
The Global Health Progress initiative specifically focuses on four of the goals: Good Health and Wellbeing (3), Gender Equality (5), Reduced Inequalities (10); and Partnerships (17). The cross-sector partnerships include biopharma companies, NGOs, academia, and governments. Toward the Good Health and Wellbeing goal, Global Health Progress currently supports 48 programs related to cancer, 45 programs related to diabetes, and 42 programs related to HIV/AIDS, among many others.
In one project highlighted by the Global Health Progress platform, Eli Lilly has partnered with Indiana University, Moi University, the government of Kenya, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and the organisation Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) to provide screening and care for cancer and other chronic illnesses, which tend to be out of reach for most patients in Kenya. Another collaboration working toward the goals of reduced inequalities and gender equality has been established between the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson and the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) to support the development of innovative tools to enable women and girls in developing countries to protect themselves against sexual transmission of HIV.
Thomas Cueni, IFPMA’s director general, emphasized the value of collaboration to address global health challenges: “If we are to overcome today’s most pressing global health challenges, we need some fresh, out-of-the-box thinking and innovative alliances that bring diverse sectors together to unlock greater value for organizations involved and greater impact for the beneficiaries on the ground. Our industry is committed to sharing knowledge and Global Health Progress is one way in which we are helping to drive new collaborations to strengthen healthcare systems. Effective partnerships will help our innovations to grow, reaching more patients worldwide.”
Read more from IFPMA’s Greg Perry on cross-sector collaborations in advancing access to medicines.
