WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 16, 2021) — AAM and its member companies have worked extremely hard to enhance patient access to affordable treatments throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes manufacturing dexamethasone, which is estimated to have saved more than 1 million lives worldwide, and producing under voluntary licensing agreements leading vaccines and other therapeutics for use by patients in developing countries.
The public health emergency and continued global threat of COVID-19, however, necessitates that more should be done to increase patient access to vaccines. While the U.S. recently achieved a vaccination rate of 70%, much of the developing world is not expected to obtain needed quantities of vaccines for several years. And one of the lessons learned so far in the fight against COVID-19 is that an outbreak in one region can quickly spread to the next, allowing the virus to further evolve and continue to impact all of our lives.
Thus, today, AAM is stating our readiness to further partner in the global effort to defeat COVID-19 through the use of additional voluntary licensing agreements between patent holders and our members and other manufacturers. Such cooperative agreements have already aided the global response to COVID-19 and expanded access to critical medicines. More must be done to ensure patients around the world have access to vaccines. Generic and biosimilar manufacturers in the U.S. and around the world have the expertise and ability to quickly and safely increase the global supply of COVID-19 vaccines.
Accelerating patient access to these innovative treatments around the world will accelerate the end of this global pandemic. We are ready to do our part.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rachel Schwartz
202.249.7147
About AAM
AAM is driven by the belief that access to safe, quality, effective medicine has a tremendous impact on a person’s life and the world around them. Generic and biosimilar medicines improve people’s lives, improving society and the economy in turn. AAM represents the manufacturers and distributors of finished generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars, manufacturers and distributors of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals, and suppliers of other goods and services to the generic industry. Generic pharmaceuticals are 90 percent of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. but only 20 percent of total drug spending.
About the Biosimilars Council
The Biosimilars Council, a division of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), works to ensure a positive environment for patient access to biosimilar medicines. The Biosimilars Council is a leading source for information about the safety and efficacy of more affordable alternatives to costly brand biologic medicines. Areas of focus include public and health expert education, strategic partnerships, government affairs, legal affairs and regulatory policy. More information is available at www.biosimilarscouncil.org.