PREMIUM Project 2026-2027: Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation

The Project:

The Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation (PAF) is a non-governmental organisation based in the Netherlands, which serves the public interest by campaigning to ensure that medicines and medical technologies are made available in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.

Following the 2022 Fair Pharma Covid-19 Scorecard, PAF is now working on the Fair Pharma Cancer Scorecard, funded by the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF). This scorecard is an independent assessment of major pharmaceutical companies regarding their policies and practices for making patented essential cancer medicines available to patients based on human rights law. PAF researchers evaluate how well companies score on accessibility and examine the access strategies they employ, including those for low-, middle- and high-income countries. The Fair Pharma Cancer Scorecard is a benchmarking project contracted by the Dutch Cancer Society (KWF). It scores pharmaceutical companies on how they make their cancer medicines accessible in high-, middle-, and low-income countries, according to established human rights principles and responsibilities. 

We ask the PREMIUM team to provide a robust accountability tool to support advocacy strategies for better access to essential cancer medicines at affordable prices. PAF would like to gain better insights into the stakeholders involved in advocacy on essential cancer medicines, specifically who may use the Scorecard and how across different countries.

To ensure the best use of the scorecard, we are asking you to map, analyse and consult with stakeholders in the access to cancer medicines landscape in different countries within the scope of the project, for example through desk research and interviews. The Foundation will provide the students with a wide network throughout the advocacy sector, data, ideas and opportunities to discuss the project with its staff.

Originator pharmaceutical companies have a critical role to play in research, development, and deployment of life-saving cancer care to patients in high- and low/middle-income countries. They receive protection from governments – in the form of patents and data exclusivity—that allows them to control part of their market and recoup their investments. However, whether in exchange for this protection companies are actually doing enough to ensure equitable, affordable access to their essential cancer medicines is an open question. To ensure the Scorecard is used effectively in answering this question, insights into the stakeholders that could be involved in advocacy and accountability process are key.
The research outcomes will be used to strengthen a national and global campaign by KWF, PAF and partner organisations to make essential cancer medicines accessible to cancer patients wherever they live.

Come and help us fight the inequitable access to essential cancer medicines! 

 

The Client:

The Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation (PAF, in Dutch “Stichting Farma ter Verantwoording” or FtV) is a Dutch non-profit, public good organization that holds pharmaceutical companies accountable for their responsibilities toward people and society. 

PAF attaches a value to fair pricing and distribution in accordance with European and international legal standards, and therefore takes action to combat unjustifiable price gouging by companies abusing market monopolies through legal or scholarly means. For example, PAF is in an active case over excessive pricing on the medicine Humira against AbbVie and has previously published the Fair Pharma Scorecard on COVID-19.