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Tuesday, July 17th, 2007
Broader and more sophisticated public-private partnerships and new
funding methods are required if there are to be significant health
improvements in developing countries. This is the message from a
new booklet published today (July 17) by the Association of the
British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI).
The publication, Global health and the pharmaceutical industry,
details the multiple challenges of ill-health caused by poverty
and how pharmaceutical companies are playing their part in helping
to meet them.
A concerted effort from governments, international organisations,
voluntary and private sectors in rich and poor countries to find
common goals is vital if further progress is to be made. This means
listening to local needs, concentrating funding where it can produce
sustainable health improvements and building infrastructure, the
report says. Much work needs to be done to break down barriers to
healthcare; for example, World Health Organisation statistics show
that the Africa region accounts for 24 per cent of the global disease
burden but has only three per cent of the world's health workers
(WHO World Health Report 2006).
"There is great willingness and commitment from pharmaceutical
companies to play a leading role in improving the health of people
no matter where they live in the world," said ABPI Director
General Dr Richard Barker. "But to make significant progress
public and private sector must work closely together to utilise
each other's expertise."
NOTE TO EDITORS
The ABPI publication Global health and the pharmaceutical industry
is available to download as a pdf from www.abpi.org.uk/publications
For further information, please contact:
Crispin Slee 020 7747 1410 (office)
Roz Britton-Elliott 020 7747 1441 (office)
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