Pfizer, one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, has announced that it will be providing nearly two dozen of its patented products at not-for-profit prices to 45 lower-income countries, home to 1.2 billion people.
Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda are the first five countries to commit to the ‘accord for a healthier world’ initiative, announced at the annual World Economic Forum in Davos. These countries will be the first to receive the drugs at a lower cost, and health officials from the countries will provide early insights to ensure ‘all medicines and vaccines can reach those in need’.
Lessons learned from these five countries will then be applied to the rollout to the other countries. The program will be available to 45 countries in total—27 of which are low-income countries, and 18 lower-middle-income countries. 29 of these countries are in Africa.
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Originally published on Quartz : Original article