Corporate accountability : a case study of the access to medicine index. Does it help or hinder global health? : policy brief, February 2025 / David McCoy, Penelope Milsom

The Access to Medicine Index (AtMI) is an instrument that ranks the 20 biggest pharmaceutical TNCs according to how well they perform in terms of improving access to medicines and other pharmaceutical products in low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs). It is viewed as an instrument that incentivises companies and their investors to adopt more socially responsible policies and practices that would benefit populations in poorer countries. As part of its work on corporate power and accountability, UNU-IIGH conducted a detailed study of the 2022 and 2024 AtMI. This policy brief presents a summary of these studies and their conclusions. It discusses AtMI's methodology, its theory of change, and its limitations. It then explains how the ATMI may do more to serve the interests of pharmaceutical TNCs than it does the L&MICs populations it seeks to benefit. Finally, it explains other reasons why AtMI may cause more harm than good when it comes to advancing global health more broadly.

11 p.