New! ESG Update: DCAT Member Companies in the Community
The latest ESG (environmental, social and governance) news from DCAT Member Companies on how they are making an impact globally and in their local communities. Have a ESG news announcement to share for editorial consideration in DCAT Value Chain Insights? Click here to submit.
Global Health News
* Pfizer Partners for Local Mfg & Access in Latin America & Caribbean for Pneumococcal Vaccine
* Lilly, Eva Pharma Partner for Insulin Access in Low-to-Middle Income Countries
* J&J Participates in Inaugural WHO Training Academy for Health Workers
* Teva, Direct Relief Announce New Patient Access Program for Inhalers
* AbbVie Releases Emotional Impact Report on Mental Health of Underrepresented CLL Cancer Patients
* GSK Reports High Ranking in Access to Medicines Index
Sustainability News
* Schneider, X-ELIO in Renewable Energy Pact with GSK, Gilead, Thermo Fisher
* NextPharma Achieves Carbon Neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 Emissions
* Aragen Life Sciences Recognized by Ecovadis for Sustainability Initiatives
* Grifols Recognized in Dow Jones Sustainability Indices
* Biocon Reports S&P Global ESG Score
Global Health News
Pfizer Partners for Local Mfg & Access in Latin America & Caribbean for Pneumococcal Vaccine
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a specialized international health agency for the Americas, the government of Argentina, Pfizer, and Sinergium Biotech, a Buenos Aires, Argentina-based bio/pharmaceutical company, have announced a joint effort to facilitate local production and regional access to the 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20). This vaccine will help reduce the burden of pneumococcal diseases and provide greater protection for vulnerable populations, including children and the elderly.
PCV20, which includes seven additional serotypes compared to the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13), is expected to further increase protection against severe diseases caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), responsible for pneumonia, meningitis, and other serious infections, including those linked to antibiotic-resistant strains.
The PCV20 vaccine will be available to Latin America and the Caribbean starting in early 2025. It is estimated that the first doses produced in Argentina will be available by 2026. This vaccine, recommended for children under two and adults over 60, is already being introduced in high-income countries and will also be accessible to countries in the region.
Source: Pan American Health Organization
Lilly, Eva Pharma Partner for Insulin Access in Low-to-Middle Income Countries
The Egyptian Drug Authority has approved the insulin glargine injection manufactured by EVA Pharma, an Egyptian pharmaceutical company through a collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company.
Launched in 2022, the collaboration aims to deliver a sustainable supply of high-quality, affordable human and analog insulin to at least one million people annually living with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in low- to middle-income countries, most of which are in Africa.
This marks the first regulatory approval of EVA Pharma’s insulin drug products, following Lilly and EVA Pharma’s collaboration announcement in December 2022. Under this agreement, Lilly has been supplying its active pharmaceutical ingredient for insulin to EVA Pharma at a significantly reduced price and providing pro-bono technology transfer to enable EVA Pharma to formulate\ and fill–finish insulin vials and cartridges.
Less than two years after the initial announcement, EVA Pharma has completed a new biologics manufacturing facility, finalized insulin formulations and stability testing processes, engaged with the local regulatory authorities to obtain approval of the insulin glargine injection, and released the first batch of the locally manufactured insulin drug product.
This collaboration is part of the Lilly 30×30 initiative, which aims to improve access to quality healthcare for 30 million people living in resource-limited settings annually by 2030.
Source: Eli Lilly and Company
J&J Participates in Inaugural WHO Training Academy for Health Workers
Johnson & Johnson (J&J) joined the government of France and global healthcare leaders in inaugurating the World Health Organization (WHO) Academy campus in Lyon, France. J&J has made a $7-million contribution to the Institut de France, a key partner in launching the WHO Academy and its mission to connect health workers with lifelong training and educational opportunities. The ceremony in Lyon was hosted by the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the Director-General of WHO, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Source: Johnson & Johnson
Teva, Direct Relief Announce New Patient Access Program for Inhalers
Teva Pharmaceuticals has launched a new patient access program, in partnership with the non-profit humanitarian organization, Direct Relief, to supply inhalers to eligible patients in the United States free of charge.
Teva will make two inhaler products available through this program: generic versions of the AirDuo RespiClick (fluticasone propionate/salmeterol xinafoate maintenance inhaler) and ProAir HFA (albuterol sulfate rescue inhaler). Teva will donate the inhalers to Direct Relief for distribution by request to free and charitable clinics, to then be dispensed to uninsured patients served by these clinics.
The program will continue for a minimum of three years to ensure reliable and continuous supply to these patients. In addition to donating the inhalers, Teva will make a cash donation to Direct Relief to cover the costs of administering this program.
Source: Teva Pharmaceuticals
AbbVie Releases Emotional Impact Report on Mental Health of Underrepresented CLL Cancer Patients
AbbVie has announced results from its latest Emotional Impact Report (EIR), a patient survey that provides an understanding of the mental health impacts of a chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) diagnosis. Findings from the survey are the first to report the emotional perspectives of Hispanic, Black, and Asian patients with CLL and their unique experiences and challenges throughout their blood-cancer journey. The insights show that Black, Hispanic, and Asian patients have more negative emotional experiences and outlooks with their CLL diagnosis and treatment journeys. The findings were shared during the 66th American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition at an ancillary event.
Source: AbbVie
GSK Reports High Ranking in Access to Medicines Index
GSK has announced that it ranked second in the Access to Medicine Index (ATMI) in ATMI’s ninth iteration. The index is an independent, investor-backed report that ranks 20 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies on progress to improve access at scale in 113 lower-income countries and focuses on 81 high-burden priority diseases.
GSK’s approach to access to medicines places the company in the top three across all categories of the ATMI report, including a first-place ranking in Product Delivery, which evaluates how companies improve access to their products. GSK is one of largest suppliers of vaccines to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public–private global health partnership, with 1.2 billion vaccines supplied since 2010.
Additionally, the company stated it is committed to investing £1 billion ($1.2 billion) over the next 10 years on global health R&D to get ahead of high-burden infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and malaria, and improve access of new interventions for malaria-endemic countries such as the first-ever malaria vaccine and a new single-dose cure medicine.
Source: GSK
Sustainability News
Schneider, X-ELIO in Renewable Energy Pact with GSK, Gilead, Thermo Fisher
Schneider Electric has announced continued progress toward decarbonization for the pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors, through Energize, a collaborative partnership of pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and their suppliers. Recent progress includes the second power purchase agreement (PPA) cohort to procure renewable electricity together, following the first cohort announced in the fall 2024. This multi-buyer PPA was signed with X-ELIO, a renewables energy provider, and the energy sourced from its Lorca Solar Project in Spain is expected to be operational by early 2026.
GSK, Gilead Sciences, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Haleon (the former consumer healthcare business of GSK) have collaborated to execute an aggregated purchase of 245 GWh of renewable energy per year for a 10-year term. This represents an estimated 41,748 metric tons of carbon dioxide avoided per year, or the equivalent of 74,878 Spanish households’ average annual electricity consumption.
Thermo Fisher Scientific served as the lead negotiator supporting the group of companies during the PPA negotiations, which led to a successful combined investment in this long-term supply of renewable electricity.
Twenty-four pharmaceutical and healthcare companies sponsor the Energize program, managed by Schneider Electric, to provide renewable electricity education and procurement support at no cost for their suppliers. This support empowers suppliers to make tangible strides toward achieving decarbonization goals.
Source: Scheider Electric, X-ELIO
NextPharma Achieves Carbon Neutrality for Scope 1 and 2 Emissions
NextPharma, a London-based CDMO, has announced that it successfully achieved carbon neutrality from January 1, 2025, for its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. This announcement follows the launch of the company’s flagship “Path to CO2 Neutrality” commitment in July 2021, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all 10 production sites in the NextPharma group.
Source: NextPharma
Aragen Life Sciences Recognized by Ecovadis for Sustainability Initiatives
Aragen Life Sciences, a CDMO of drug substances and drug products, has received a platinum medal rating from EcoVadis, which provides a sustainability ratings platform for global supply chains.
During the last few years, Aragen has consistently improved its EcoVadis rating from 46 in 2021 to 82 in 2024. The company’s key sustainability initiatives include: increasing its share of renewable energy, implementing green-chemistry principles in R&D, and collaborating with suppliers to lower Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions. Aragen has prioritized water stewardship, employee-centric policies, and maintaining an ongoing dialogue with stakeholders in the sustainability sector.
Source: Aragen Life Sciences
Grifols Recognized in Dow Jones Sustainability Indices
Grifols, a Barcelona, Spain-based bio/pharmaceutical company and healthcare company, has announced its favorable ranking in the S&P Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI). Grifols earned a rating of 70 points, the company’s highest score yet, marking a seven-point increase over last year’s results and highlighting the company’s progress and commitment to sustainability.
Source: Grifols
Biocon Reports S&P Global ESG Score
Biocon, an India-based bio/pharmaceuticals company, has announced its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) scores as assessed by S&P Global’s Corporate Sustainability Assessment for 2024. Biocon achieved an improvement with an S&P Global ESG Score of 69 in 2024, up 6 points from 63 in 2023. This places the company in the 98th percentile among its global biotechnology industry peers. Biocon achieved an ESG Score of 76 in the Environmental Dimension, 74 in the Social Dimension, and 62 in the Governance & Economic Dimension.
Source: Biocon
