FT Pharma 2021 - Pricing and market access trends session

[@borisbadinoff1291]

When CSR indices go off the rail: 14:25 "No company was developing coronavirus therapies before 2020. It was a very reactive R&D." (1) Coronaviruses belong to a large family, but is it even possible or realistic to develop an antiviral for a virus that hasn't yet emerged? Same for vaccines, where R&D could only start when China shared the genetic sequence of SARS-Cov-2. What's the point of researching viruses that mostly cause a simple cold? No health system would ever pay for a treatment against simple cold. (2) What exactly were governments and academic research centers doing before January 2020? Apparently, after the SARS and MERS scares, public funding dried out quickly. Are companies supposed to keep investing in R&D that might never proved useful, while other therapeutic areas might require more investments? How far does pharma companies' societal responsibility extend? Western governments, ie, rich countries, were caught off-guard without basic protective equipment such as masks at the outset of the pandemic. Are companies manufacturing PPE expected to maintain national security stocks? Should we just ask companies to take on the task of protecting populations against future risks? The Foundation should make a parallel index about governments' activities and see whether it makes a dent in public policy.

[@borisbadinoff1291]

Why should pharma companies from the US and EU be held responsible for developing drugs addressing unmet medical needs in other countries, which do not prioritize healthcare in their public investment? It's not just about wealth or absolute spending, but a giant like India spends about 1% of GDP on healthcare, while entertaining a space program. The largest vaccine company in the world in Serum Institute of India. It's owned by Cyrus Poowanalla, the 5th richest person in India with an estimated wealth of $25 billion. Is SSI investing in drug development? What''s their ranking on the A2M index? China made very different policy choices the result of which we could see in their ability to develop vaccines as fast as other leading countries or even faster.