LSE "$4.38 B pharma aid is underestimate"

A validation report by the UK's London School of Econ-omics of a 2005 survey by the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Asso-ciations concludes that there is a "high probability of underestimation," of the drug industry's contribution to meeting the United Nations Organization's Millennium Development Goals. The IFPMA's own estimate of the drug industry's contribution of $4.38 billion to developing countries is believed to omit several major projects, due to the authors' strict criteria for inclusion. In a briefing to the Marketletter, Harvey Bale, director general of the IFPMA, described the reasoning behind the report and expressed his strong recommendation that the trade body repeat the 2005 survey, if possible on an annual basis.

The UN's eight Millennium Development Goals involve 18 targets, which include the reduction of child mortality globally by two-thirds from 1990 to 2015; the halting of the progression of HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, and the beginning of the reversal in these diseases' spread by 2015; and to provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries, in cooperation with the industry.

The rationale for the 2005 IFPMA Health Partnerships Survey came from the observation that there was a signi-ficant gap in public awareness of the efforts that the drug industry, both collectively and on an individual firm basis, and the reality of what was being delivered. This under-valuation was only made worse by the reluctance of some companies to share information about their programs, especially if this were to lead to "league tables" being published. Dr Bale told the Marketletter that the IFPMA decided in February 2005 to commission a survey, which allowed the individual firms to share information in confi-dence. The final report was ready in November last year. He said: "The survey was designed to address the dicho-tomy between what was happening and what people saw."