Novartis rises to second place in 2018 Access to Medicine Index – underlining the rapidly changing nature of global access [1]
The news [2] that Novartis has risen to second place in the 2018 Access to Medicine Index (ATMI) demonstrates both the critical role of Sandoz in driving access to medicines and the extent to which the very nature of access continues to evolve.
Sandoz makes a leading contribution to driving global access both through cross-divisional programs such as Novartis Access, where the majority of the medicines in the portfolio are Sandoz generics, and through its underlying business model of providing affordable, high-quality medicines.
At the same time, the ATMI report highlights the extent to which the nature of global access needs continue to change – a change that is central to the Sandoz strategy.
Access to healthcare remains the single largest unmet medical need, despite all the advances made by modern medicine. But two major new trends are increasingly changing the picture: the radical change in the global disease burden and the growing importance of ensuring responsible use of medicines.
The growing prevalence of complex, chronic conditions, even in poorer countries, leads to steadily increasing demand for higher-end therapies, ranging from complex generics and value added medicines to biosimilars.
In parallel, there is an increasing need to balance the traditional concept of increasing access with that of ensuring responsible use of the medicines we have, by avoiding overuse, underuse and abuse.
These changes are reflected in the Sandoz strategy, which focuses increasingly on two key pillars: the emerging “innovator-like” segment between originator medicines and commodity-type generics, and the need to drive sustainable growth in those segments of the core generics market where we can demonstrate superior development, manufacturing and go-to-market models.