As research on COVID-19 inflammation, there is a lack of research on R&D on other infectious diseases, a report found.
Major pharmaceutical companies are neglecting to tackle many other infectious diseases that are at risk from pandemics, amid a rise in research on COVID-19, a report has found.
In the 20 drug companies surveyed by the Access to Medicine Foundation, R&D pipes were empty for ten out of 16 diseases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a threat to public health.
The number of drugs and experimental vaccines targeting COVID-19 has risen from zero to 63 since the pandemic began in early 2020, the report found. However, only 13 projects aimed at combining the other infectious diseases, including five for Ebola and four each for Zika and chikungunya.
If we do not take access planning and priority seriously … then we are not prepared for a pandemic as a society or an industry. ”
Jayasree Iyer, Executive Director, Foundation for Access to Medicine
The rate of drug development is “alarmingly low” for these diseases, the report says, despite the WHO identifying them as major diseases for R&D and COVID-19 emergencies highlight the importance of pre- preparation mechanisms for a possible outbreak.
Jayasree Iyer, executive director of the Access to Medicine Foundation, said: “The current industry’s approach to pandemic preparedness is not going to save us from these emerging new pathogens.
“We urge companies to ensure that they fill their pipes with projects that focus on R&D priorities. ”
Together with COVID-19, HIV / AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria make up more than half of the infectious disease pipeline projects, while cancers gain control of the pipeline for infections or infections. -communications.
Incentives for investing in research in other areas are currently limited, Iyer said, although governments and investors are increasingly aware of global issues and partnerships such as the Consortium for Establish Epidemic Preparation Innovation to address future pandemics.
Access plans
Positively, pharma companies are moving to “make new medicines more accessible to the poor”, according to the Access to Medicine Foundation. Eight of the 20 companies covered have strategies in place to ensure that each project has plans to increase accessibility in countries with lower incomes after launch, compared to one in in 2018.
However, at present, less than half of the medications and vaccines studied are covered by such an accessibility plan, the report found. Even those who often focus on middle-income countries, such as Brazil, China, India and Mexico.
Novartis was the only company found to have provided fair access strategies in at least one low-income country for all assessed outcomes, and the pipeline was The widest range of GSK’s late outcomes includes access plans.
“I think we are currently at an important point where companies are recognizing that they can only design products with high revenue numbers,” Iyer said. “But that also needs to be translated into practice.”
COVID-19 has raised questions about equal access to medicines due to fears that it could take years for vaccines to reach some developing countries. The report found “little evidence” in the early months of infectious disease of the structures that would ensure access to treatments in these countries.
“The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted some of the major problems in accessing medicine and the industry’s response. It will help us understand the fragility of supply chains, and the fragility of R&D, ”said Iyer. “If we don’t take accessibility planning and prioritization seriously … then we are not prepared for a pandemic as a society or an industry.”
Strengthening collaboration
Thomas Cueni, chief executive of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), and chairman of the anti-microbial group AMR Industry Alliance, said he was confident that much was being done to access medicines strengthen, including international collaborations.
He noted global partnerships such as COVAX, which aims to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, and Access Accelerated, which seeks to improve access to treatments for non-communicable diseases.
Many pharmaceutical companies use different prices to improve access to COVID-19 products in lower-income countries, Cueni said: “IFPMA and its members are committed to delivering COVID-19 vaccines to national numbers. , regardless of ability to pay. ”
He said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has made it very clear that the world needs to be better prepared for global threats from infectious diseases”.
The report also highlights the ongoing risk of antibiotic resistance, while saying that the pipeline for antibiotics is running dry. In 2020 there were only 34 antibiotic projects for eight diseases with 12 companies.
“Little progress has been made in addressing the economic challenges of declining private investment in antibiotic R&D, such as valuation, reimbursement and incentives,” said Cueni. “Concrete action is therefore needed to accelerate the creation of a vibrant and sustainable innovation ecosystem to support R&D for new antimicrobials and to prevent future pandemics.”