Pfizer's Plan to Bring Affordable Medicines to Low-Income Nations Slowed by Bureaucracy

Eligible poor countries for Pfizer's plan restricted by bureaucracy.

By Thea Felicity

Sep 26 2024, 09:55 AM EDT

BELGIUM-EU-HEALTH-VIRUS-VACCINES — A picture shows the company logo at the US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer plant in Puurs, northeast Belgium, on December 23, 2020, on the day trucks carrying the first batches of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) vaccines for EU citizens left the plant, ahead of a rollout across the 27-nation bloc. - Member states are set to start issuing the Pfizer-BioNTech inoculations from December 27 after the European Medicines Agency (EMA) Union's medicines regulator gave the green light on December 21. JONAS ROOSENS/BELGA/AFP via Getty Images

Pfizer has failed to reach their targeted number of countries for their plan to make affordable medicines accessible to poor nations.

According to Business Wire, the plan was launched two years ago, but not for profitability purposes. The "An Accord for a Healthier World" program hopes to provide 45 eligible low-income nations affordable access to Pfizer's lineup of drugs and vaccines in a cheaper way. This includes their bestsellers, cancer drugs, and newly-approved products.

However, although the program expanded to more Pfizer drugs in 2023, poorer countries keep waiting for a long time, compared to somewhat wealthier ones.

Pfizer's 'An Accord for a Healthier World' Program

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told Reuters that the program's progress was slower than he had hoped because few countries are mobilizing enough to bring the products in. Out of 45 countries, ten only signed up so far due to the challenges brought by bureaucracy.

Bourla explained that to deliver their medicines successfully, countries should change their procurement processes and register the drugs before distribution to make things easier for their citizens.

Aside from bureaucracy, countries that initially joined the program deal with significant issues like geopolitical conflicts, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters. Both have blocked Pfizer due to their lack of attention.

On another note, countries like Rwanda, Ghana, and Uganda, which signed up in 2022, have already received 1,500 treatments for several diseases. So far, Rwanda has been increasing the number of Pfizer products they can buy and working to access more.

For Pfizer, pricing does not matter for the 'An Accord for a Healthier World' program. Pfizer is competitive enough in local generics. However, quality is crucial, especially in regions heavily affected by counterfeit drugs. Looking ahead, they promise to work with nearly half of the targeted number of countries this year and reach more than 1 million patients, especially since worldwide patients are particularly interested in their off-patent products due to their quality.