Policy & Influence

What we measure

Lobbying and Advocacy

Public policy lobbying and advocacy in areas such as intellectual property rights, pricing, counterfeit products, quality, etc. can have a direct impact on ATM. While there are several ways that lobbying and advocacy activities can positively impact ATM (e.g. advocating for more stringent regulatory standards for drug quality in Index Countries), there are also a number of ways that they can impact ATM negatively. Under this area, the lobbying and advocacy activities of companies related to ATM are analyzed.

Competition Behavior

 Existence of multiple sources for pharmaceutical products and competition can result in both increased supply and decreased prices. A range of strategies and practices that can facilitate or hamper competition with both originators generic manufacturers are analyzed under this technical area. Below are examples of the topics covered under competition behavior:

• Disclosure of public policy positions with regard to competition related issues such as data exclusivity for clinical trial data and incentivizing the competition to delay its entry to the market.

• Facilitation of competition in the Index Countries by choosing multiple non-exclusive distributors for products

• Involvement in significant competition related litigations and/or controversies

Marketing Behavior

 The marketing and promotion of drugs can have a significant influence on the type of medicines that patients receive. Particularly in the Index Countries with less robust forms of regulation and consumer protection, the marketing behavior of pharmaceutical companies can shape access to both appropriate and affordable medicines. Unethical marketing can lead to suboptimal clinical decisions, prescription of more expensive drugs, and irrational use of medicines by consumers, which can result in reduced treatment efficacy and other complications, such as adverse drug reaction and drug resistance.

Under this area, we evaluate the companies’ level of transparency about their marketing activities in the Index Countries. In addition, we evaluate companies' initiatives to ensure ethical marketing policies and practices in Index Countries.