Global Health Progress SDGs

See how our collaborations are supporting:

Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
SDG 5 - Gender Equality
SDG 9 - Gender Equality
SDG 10 - Reduced Inequalites

SDGs IN FOCUS

In 2015, the United Nations launched the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the blueprint for peace, prosperity, and a more sustainable future for all.

Working towards 2030, the 17 ambitious goals are driving momentum in the global community toward a shared agenda.

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To achieve the goals, partnerships and collaborations across sectors are fundamental

The innovative pharmaceutical industry is contributing through our partnerships, bringing a diversity of skills and expertise to help people live longer, healthier lives.

We are working on 255 cross-sector partnerships

Our programs are collaborating with 1130 cross-sector partners

OUR FOCUS

Globally, we are living longer and healthier lives than ever before. However, a vast number of people still suffer needlessly from preventable conditions, many dying prematurely. The innovative pharmaceutical industry plays a unique role in delivering better health for millions of people across the world.

We have learned that ‘health for all’ is about much more than medicine and vaccine innovation – it requires establishing strong health systems, developing public health education, and strengthening standards and regulations.

As part of the global health community, we continue to commit to...

  • Sharing knowledge to drive effective program execution

  • Collaborating to strengthen health systems

  • Accelerating innovation

Universal Health Coverage

SDG 3.8, universal health coverage (UHC) – ensuring that all individuals receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship – is at the heart of the health-related SDGs and the foundation for improving health and well-being globally. Achieving UHC is one of the most important health challenges of our time and a core focus for us.

We believe there are three key components for UHC, which we are committed to supporting:

  • Upholding quality primary healthcare
  • Investing more, investing better in health
  • Improving access to medicines and vaccines

3 - Good Health and Well-being

ENSURE HEALTHY LIVES AND PROMOTE WELL-BEING FOR ALL AT ALL AGES

Health is essential for sustainable development. Through collaborative action, we have made great progress in alleviating the burden of some of the deadliest diseases across the globe. It is critical to continue to accelerate this progress while responding to emerging health challenges.

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The innovative pharmaceutical industry has a direct role to play in SDG 3 by addressing persistent challenges and preventing early death and disability.


Our programs are targeting 83 different diseases

The 3 main disease areas we are collaborating on are:

Cancer
77 programs
Diabetes
40 programs
Tuberculosis
31 programs

3 - Good Health and Well-being / Target 3.1 / Target 3.2

REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY, END PREVENTABLE DEATHS OF NEWBORNS, AND REDUCE UNDER 5 MORTALITY

Remarkable progress has been made in reducing infant and maternal mortality over the last 30 years. There were six million fewer childhood deaths in 2016 than in 1990 1 WHO: Child mortality rates plunge by more than half since 1990 and a 44% reduction in the maternal mortality rate between 1990 and 2015 2 WHO: Maternal Mortality Fact Sheet (2018) . However, every day 16,000 children still die before their fifth birthday 3 WHO: Children: Reducing Mortality (2018) and 830 women die from pregnancy or childbirth-related complications 4 WHO: Children: Reducing Mortality (2018) .

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Our collaborations support SDG 3.1 and SDG 3.2 by addressing the unique challenges women and children face in accessing healthcare in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).


  • 78 of our collaborations target women and children
  • 43 of our collaborations are targeting women and children disease areas
Our programs are working in several areas supporting women’s and children’s health, including:
10 programs working on family planning, sexual and reproductive health
11 programs working in childhood vaccinations
7 programs working in malnutrition

3 - Good Health and Well-being / Target 3.3

END THE EPIDEMICS OF AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS (TB), MALARIA, NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES (NTDs), AND OTHER COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

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COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Breakthrough interventions, such as safe and effective vaccines, have led to remarkable progress in reducing mortality from communicable diseases over the past 50 years. However, today 20% of all deaths are still due to communicable diseases 1 WHO: 10 facts on health inequities and their causes (2017) .

In support of SDG 3.3, the innovative pharmaceutical industry aims to end these epidemics by creating global strategies and coalitions for mobilizing action against ending the AIDS epidemic, 1 UNAIDS: 90-90-90: Treatment for all (2019) coordinating TB investments, and catalyzing action across governments and partners to eradicate malaria.

65
of our collaborations are working in HIV, TB, and malaria
52%
of these programs are partnering with global NGOs
35%
of these programs are partnering with academia or research institutes

The top 3 countries our HIV, TB, and malaria programs are working in are:

  • Kenya
    17 programs
  • South Africa
    17 programs
  • Malawi
    16 programs

NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES (NTDs)

NTDs affect more than 1 billion of the poorest and most marginalized people globally 4 Holmes, K., Bertozzi, S., Bloom, B., Jha, P., Gelband, H., DeMaria, L. and Horton, S. Major Infectious Diseases: Key Messages from Disease Control Priorities, Third Edition. (2019) . One in seven people suffer from an NTD 5 WHO: London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases (2012) , despite often ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat these diseases are known.

Collaborations, such as the Kigali Declaration on NTDs bring together public, private and civil society actors to improve access to treatments, build capacity, and advocate for supporting policies 6 WHO: Neglected Tropical Diseases (2019) . As part of our contribution, the innovative pharmaceutical industry is working to distribute 14 billion treatments by 2020, forming the world's largest medicine donation to date.

26 of our
collaborations
support NTDs


The main 3 NTDs we are working in are:

Chagas Disease
12 programs
Soil-Transmitted Helminthiasis
5 programs
Onchocerciasis (River Blindness)
5 programs
Scaling up access to existing treatments
Donation of 14 billion treatments over 10 years to help eliminate or control 10 NTDs
Strengthening health systems & building awareness
8 collaborations to build capacity to fight NTDs where they are endemic
Boosting innovation
100+ active R&D projects to develop the next generation of medicines and vaccines for NTDs

3 - Good Health and Well-being / Target 3.4

REDUCE PREMATURE MORTALITY FROM NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (NCDs) BY ONE THIRD THROUGH PREVENTION AND TREATMENT AND PROMOTE MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

Millions of people die prematurely each year from preventable and treatable NCDs. 85% of these premature deaths occur in LMICs, leaving communities with devastating social and economic loss 6 WHO: Noncommunicable diseases: Key facts (2018) .

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SDG 3.4 calls for innovative pharmaceutical companies to collaborate with countries, civil society, multilateral institutions, and NGOs to work across sectors, drive local programs, and advocate to help improve the well-being of those living with chronic diseases.

One notable initiative is Access Accelerated, a unique cross-industry collaboration that seeks to reduce barriers to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for NCDs in LMICs.

Access Accelerated - Moving NCD Care Forward

Learn more about Access Accelerated


102 of our
collaborations
support NCDs

The main 3 NCDs we are working in are:

Cancer
77 programs
Diabetes
40 programs
Cardiovascular Diseases
30 programs

The top 3 countries our NCD programs are working in are:

  • Kenya
    37 programs
  • India
    24 programs
  • Uganda
    22 programs

17 - Partnerships for the Goals

PARTNERSHIPS FOR THE GOALS

SDG 17 is core to our approach working across sectors to develop and adopt creative solutions to improve health and well-being globally.

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Partnership is crucial to deliver on progress, strengthen implementation, and develop innovative approaches.

Our collaborations are dynamic and evolving, spanning sectors, industries, geographies, and diseases.


Our programs are working across the globe

The top 3 countries our programs work in are:
Kenya
59 programs
India
41 programs
Uganda
40 programs
The top 3 types of partners we collaborate with are:
Global NGOs
115 programs
Academia or research institute
80 programs
Other business
67 programs
The 3 partners we collaborate with most often are:
World Health Organization Who
20 programs
Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation
20 programs
Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
12 programs

Our programs are collaborative, wide-ranging, and long-term

  • 38 include collaborations between multiple IFPMA member companies
  • 160 of our programs include a collaboration with more than one partner type

Many of our collaborations include other private sector partners and work to foster local ownership

  • 67 of our programs are working with other private sector businesses
  • 94 of our programs include a government or local NGOs partner

9 - Industry, Innovation and infrastructure

INDUSTRY, INNOVATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE

SDG 9 is critical for economic development, social stability, and our ability to meet future challenges in health. Many less developed countries are lagging behind in their efforts to build national capacity to research and develop medicines and vaccines to support healthy populations.

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As the innovative pharmaceutical industry, SDG 9 defines the core of what we do.

We are devoted to inventing, manufacturing, and delivering valuable medicines that enable patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives which, benefit future generations to come.

In 2019, we employed over 2 million people worldwide and continue to strengthen workforces in support of economic stability, through training and job creation.

We work collaboratively to support economic growth and strengthen local technological capabilities. We invest in infrastructure and capacity building, run clinical trials that help local economies to grow, and share technical expertise to develop, manufacture, register, and distribute medicines and vaccines to more people.


  • 32% of our programs support SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure)

44 of our programs focus on R&D

33 of our programs focus on building infrastructure and developing technology

23 of our programs focus on manufacturing and strengthening supply chain

5 - Gender Equality and 10 - Reduced Inequalites

ACHIEVE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER ALL WOMEN

REDUCE INEQUALITY WITHIN AND AMONG COUNTRIES

Approximately 99% of maternal deaths, 95% of deaths from TB, and 87% of premature deaths due to NCDs occur in LMICs 1 WHO: Health Inequalities . Women are the backbone of healthcare delivery and, in many countries, make up over 75% of the healthcare workforce. However, they are often concentrated in low status health occupations and are a minority among trained health professionals.

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SDG 5 and SDG 10 are our opportunities to support poor, hard to reach populations, including women, marginalized and indigenous communities, and those living in remote and rural areas.

SDG 5: GENDER EQUALITY


  • 25% of our programs support SDG 5 (gender equality and women’s empowerment)

63 of our programs target women

91 of our programs included a health workforce capacity building element

SDG 10: REDUCED INEQUALITIES


  • 31% of our programs support SDG 10 (reduce inequalities)

36 of our programs target marginalized/indigenous populations

73 of our programs target people with low incomes

13 of our programs target rural people