Access to medicines: A global challenge

With the aim of raising awareness of a wider audience, the conference-debate “Access to medicines: A global challenge” will introduce the book “Combien coûtent nos vies?” to open a panorama on access to medicines, illustrating the theme with different vignettes and speakers, followed by a wider debate on the issue of access, inviting participation from the public. Access to essential medicines - a fundamental element of the right to health - remains an issue due to price, availability and affordability. Why is this a global challenge? What is the situation in Switzerland? What are the solutions? At this conference, Prof. Antoine Flahault, Director of the Institute of Global Health at the UNIGE Faculty of Medicine, opens the event. Followed by a presentation of the book by the authors Pauline Londeix and Jérôme Martin, co-founders of the Observatoire de la transparence dans les politiques du médicaments (OTMeds), who open the panorama on the issue of access followed by three presentations on different access issues worldwide.

The issue of price may seem invisible in a country like France or Switzerland, where there are strong social protections, but in fact it is also problematic, and the question of shortages is becoming increasingly pressing.

Jérôme Martin
Co-founder of the Observatory for Transparency in Drug Policy (OTMeds)

People living with cancer should not have to bear the burden of drug shortages.

Dr. Alfredo Addeo
Oncology Department, Geneva University Hospitals (HUG)

View the recorded conference (in French)