Background and Project Approach

Pharma Futures 3: Emerging Opportunities (Download Report) was the third in a series of ambitious investor-led dialogues based on the premise that a better alignment between profitability and society’s need for improved access to affordable healthcare is a prerequisite for a thriving healthcare industry. Pivotal to the initiative was a Working Group comprised of members of the industry – generic and branded pharmaceuticals – investors, entrepreneurs and global health experts.

The Working Group, supported by a Secretariat, explored innovative approaches to balancing business opportunities with initiatives to increase access to medicines in middle income markets. It had a particular emphasis on partnerships, business model innovation and new financing mechanisms.

Middle income markets, such as China, India, Brazil and the Philippines are seen by many in the healthcare industry as presenting significant new business opportunities. And it’s no wonder – rising incomes, changing demographics and evolving epidemiology in these geographies represent a sizeable shift in the market landscape.

This remarkable transformation, however, is taking place against a backdrop of continuing poverty and acute and chronic healthcare needs for millions of people. Pharma Futures 3: Emerging Opportunities explored the ways in which pharmaceutical companies can balance the opportunities offered by a growing consumer base with the need to develop more sustainable models that improve access to medicines and healthcare of the poor majority.

Pharma Futures 3 was directed by Sophia Tickell, Chairperson of SustainAbility and Director of previous Pharma Futures initiatives. The initiative was supported by a Secretariat, run by Project Manager, Maggie Brenneke and a small research team. The Pharma Futures Steering Group was made up of convening Pension Funds, APG and USS and expert advisers, Stewart Adkins, Director Adkins Associates and former healthcare analyst at Lehman Bros, Shereen El-Feki, writer and former Healthcare Correspondent at The Economist and Pamela Hartigan, Co-Founder of Volans Ventures.