WASHINGTON--A new comprehensive report, The Pharmaceutical Industry's Contributions to the United Nation's Millennium Development Goals by Hudson Institute's Center for Science in Public Policy (CSPP) identifies an estimated $94.8 billion in pharmaceutical industry contributions to developing countries over a 12 year period from 2000 through 2011. The study examines how and in what manner pharmaceutical companies responded to the 2000 Millennium Declaration, a UN pledge that laid out health, development, and humanitarian aid targets for both governments and companies.
To assess the pharmaceutical industry's role in the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Hudson Institute analyzed both cash and in-kind contributions of 29 pharmaceutical companies since the creation of the MDGs in 2000. The report describes pharmaceutical industry product donations and a wide array of capacity building interventions to strengthen local healthcare institutions. The research is unique in its comprehensive look at the full range of contributions. Previously unmeasured donations such as the creation of research institutions, health care training, donations of medical library compounds, and transfers of manufacturing technology are included in the review.
Director of Hudson's Center for Science in Public Policy, Jeremiah Norris, noted: "The pharmaceutical industry's involvement in global health illustrates the importance of combining treatment with the strengthening of local capacity and institutions. The global health community is now coming to the realization that institution building should be a key priority."
This study provides background on how pharmaceutical companies cooperated with the UN and the international community at large in increasing access to medicines across the globe. While current indicators show that access is still not at optimal levels, a great deal has been accomplished through public private partnerships between companies and UN agencies to achieving the health, development, and humanitarian Millennium Development Goals.