Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment
Access to Health
Goal 1: Domestic Health─Achieve universal access to quality affordable health care
ICCR shareholders’ campaign to win health care reform reached an important benchmark on March 23, 2010 when the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law. Faith-based shareholders continue to dialogue with pharmaceutical, medical devices and insurance companies regarding how their business practices will support access to health care, protect life and serve the common good.
Goal 2: Global Health─Move pharmaceutical companies to develop policies and strategies to address global health needs.
An important tool for our work is the 2010 Access to Medicine Index. This resource ranks the performance of 27 pharmaceutical companies on how they promote universal access to essential medicines to people living in 88 countries with low or medium levels of development. NWCRI leads the dialogues with two companies, Merck and Gilead Sciences, which rank second and fourth respectively in the Index.
In early 2011, Merck introduced a Statement of Guiding Principles to guide its worldwide approach to access to health; and in its 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report announced a new set of key performance indicators (KPIs) that will be used to measure progress.
Gilead Sciences has developed an innovative access model which includes partnerships with generic drug companies to produce its HIV/AIDS drugs; tiered pricing; participation in the Medicines Patent Pool.
Seattle, WA 98115