Turning innovation into sustainable access
Why Sustainable Access Matters
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 2 billion people do not have access to essential medicines. Without effective treatments, illnesses can be more severe, and patients face worse health outcomes. Those with chronic conditions may spend years suffering while their health slowly deteriorates. They are also more likely to face poverty and hunger, creating a cycle of deprivation. With 80 percent of countries accounting for just 20 percent of the world's pharmaceutical consumption, it is people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) who are impacted most from this lack of access.
Increasing access to healthcare remains one of the most prioritized yet complex global development challenges, as reflected in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 5 (Gender Equality). The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the devastating impact illnesses can have without access to medical care, treatments and vaccines.
Bayer's mission 'Health for all, Hunger for none' reflects the company's dedication to providing healthcare and nutrition to underserved communities. A growing and aging world population requires improved medical care, and with life expectancy continuing to rise, the need for sustainable access models has never been greater.
Our Access-to-Medicine Strategy
Four Cornerstones of the Access-to-Medicine Strategy
| Cornerstone | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Empowering women, globally | Enable 100 million women in low- and middle-income countries with affordable modern contraceptives by 2030. Improve women's health, rights and economic status as a step towards increasing Gender Equality (SDG 5). |
| 2. Inclusive and sustainable growth | Pursue inclusive growth approaches from which many patients worldwide will benefit, connecting innovation with societal value and responsible business practices. |
| 3. Health system strengthening and capacity building | Support training, awareness, diagnosis, capacity building and locally relevant delivery models in LMICs, working with governments, NGOs and healthcare providers. |
| 4. Product development with structured access planning | Integrate access planning into the product lifecycle, preparing holistic patient access plans for pipeline assets no later than Phase II, considering global health perspective, burden of disease in LMICs and local access strategies. |
Our Ten Access Commitments
The following commitments on patient access help activate Bayer's access-to-medicine strategy. These commitments are published in the Patient Access Charter and form the operational backbone of the company's sustainable access agenda.
Tackling Affordability: Equitable Pricing Approach
When it comes to access to medicine, cost can be a major barrier. Affordability can vary greatly across countries and regions. Bayer believes that this should be taken into consideration as the company aims to deliver more access to medicines to more patients worldwide.
Bayer is transforming the way it prices products. The new pharmaceutical pricing philosophy amalgamates local ability-to-pay with product value to provide patients in need with access. The pricing philosophy takes into consideration local affordability and the value of the products to offer greater pricing flexibility to countries' national health systems. This approach was rolled out worldwide in 2021.
Key features of the equitable pricing approach
- Local ability-to-pay is combined with product value to determine pricing
- National income level is considered in the pricing strategy for all newly launched brands and nine legacy global brands
- Greater pricing flexibility is offered to countries' national health systems
- The approach was rolled out worldwide in 2021
Patient Affordability Programs (PAPs)
Bayer's tailored Patient Affordability Programs (PAPs) help patients overcome financial obstacles to access the treatments they need for as long as they need them. The company works with insurers, charities and others to make the financial impact on patients less severe.
While patients in different low- and middle-income countries may face similar challenges in affording medicines, each country has different healthcare systems and ways of making treatments available. PAPs are created according to the local need of each country and can support patients by:
- Assessing the individual's ability to pay, resulting in a customized approach where each individual will be required to pay only the amount they can afford during a 12-month period.
- Providing the required medication at reduced cost, in the form of an immediate or deferred discount on the patient's price or free-of-charge goods.
By building PAPs on the specific needs of each country, Bayer has been able to make considerable progress in expanding access to medicines.
Our Partnerships
To realize its goals, Bayer works together with a wide range of private and public organizations to understand their perspectives, define targets and make an impact at scale.
Tracking the Progress
Bayer aims to provide transparent and in-depth insights into both its sustainability and access strategy, as well as its sustainability performance. The annual Bayer Sustainability Report supplements the nonfinancial statement pursuant to the CSR Directive Implementation Act (CSR-RUG), which is published in the combined management report of the Bayer Annual Report.
Access to Medicine Index Recognition
Bayer's efforts and progress in the access space have been acknowledged by the Access to Medicine Index (ATMI) that is regularly published by the Access to Medicine Foundation. Bayer was ranked 10th in 2024, achieving a Top Ten ranking in a second consecutive assessment cycle.