Health, Human Rights and Economic

More than two billion people in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) lack adequate access to essential medicines [1]. The problem is complex and views of stakeholder responsibilities to solve it differ. Increasingly, demands are being placed on the pharmaceutical industry to contribute to improving access to medicines for poor patients in developing countries [2,3]. A consensus on what constitutes an appropriate portfolio of corporate responsibilities for access to medicines – under conditions of failing states and market failure – is in the interest of the world’s poor and of corporations that want to be part of the solution for one of the most pressing social issues of our time. In this paper, we provide public health, human rights and economic arguments for improving access to medicines and discuss the different roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders. We then establish a framework of pharmaceutical firms ’ corporate responsibilities and make recommendations for actionable business strategies for improving access to medicines. We aim to contribute to constructive dialogue on the responsibilities of the pharmaceutical industry and its activities of good corporate practice. We conclude that partnerships and collaboration among multiple stakeholders are urgently needed to improve equitable access to medicines in LMICs