Medicines specifically for the world’s most impoverished countries and at-risk populations have been produced and launched by Sanofi.
The announcement was made at a global health stakeholders meeting in Paris.
The standard of care medicines have formed the Impact brand which includes insulin, glibenclamide and oxaliplatin among others. A secure distribution of 30 Sanofi medicines will be made in 40 lower-income countries.
Considered essential by the World Health Organization, the medicines cover a wide range of therapeutic areas, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, tuberculosis, malaria and cancer.
Nonprofit unit
The launch of the Impact brand is among the steps taken since the formation last year of Sanofi Global Health, a nonprofit unit within the company aiming to increase access to healthcare through the distribution of medicines, and the building and bolstering of local healthcare systems in countries with among the lowest per capita GDP.
Sanofi Global Health is the first and only global initiative to provide access to such a broad portfolio of medicines in so many countries and across multiple therapeutic areas while funding local support programs and strengthening local inclusive businesses.
Paul Hudson, chief executive officer at Sanofi, said: “At Sanofi, we believe we have a responsibility to make a difference for the health of those most in need, and we know we have the ability and the ambition to bring about lasting change.”
He said the company’s medicines, drive and partnerships can take its innovation beyond the lab and use it to strengthen health systems and give access to medicines for vulnerable communities.
Hudson added: “Sanofi Global Health aims to improve the lives of millions of people who now cannot get the help they need. Sanofi’s renewed purpose is to chase the miracles of science to improve people’s lives. And our quest to make life better for all people must include helping to provide better access to care and quality medicines for underserved populations.”
The company also announced the establishment of an Impact fund that will support startup companies and other innovators that can deliver scalable solutions for sustainable healthcare in underserved regions.
Aiding communities
By providing inclusive businesses financing and technical assistance, the fund will complement the global health unit’s mission of leveraging global, regional and local investment to support the training of healthcare professionals and aiding communities in running sustainable care systems.
The announcements come as Sanofi gathers key global health stakeholders to discuss how to build effective end-to-end health programs that are embedded in the communities in which they serve, to best reach, treat and manage patients’ health effectively and sustainably.
Jon Fairest, head global health unit at Sanofi, said: “The launch of the Impact brand and our Impact fund are our latest steps to make our medicines available and to help bring quality, sustainable healthcare to people in the world’s poorest countries. But we know that we cannot do this alone, and so we are building partnerships at global, regional and 2/3 local levels that will help to improve and establish health systems to reach our goal of a healthier, more resilient world.”