COVID-19: Boehringer Ingelheim Signs Communiqué Jointly with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Committing to Ensure Global Access to Corona Care

  • Boehringer Ingelheim has signed a communiqué jointly with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and fifteen other pharmaceutical companies committing to providing global access to COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.
  • Innovative research can only stop the pandemic if all relevant parties – from governments, multilateral institutions, companies, to NGOs – work together to ensure access to care is provided to all countries independent of income level.
  • Boehringer Ingelheim is invested in finding therapeutics as fast as possible, but emphasizes that speed does not trump patient safety, which remains the top priority.

Boehringer Ingelheim has signed a communiqué jointly with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and fifteen other pharmaceutical companies committing to providing global access to COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. The communiqué was presented by Bill Gates during an event at the United Nations General Assembly. It is sharing the commitment of Boehringer Ingelheim and the other pharmaceutical companies to end the pandemic as well as appealing to partners across the entire development-to-deployment pathway to become involved. Innovative research will only end the pandemic when paired with expansive collaboration among the life science companies as well as governments, NGOs, multilateral institutions and others to ensure access to all countries regardless of their income level.   

“Boehringer Ingelheim believes that a solution to this pandemic can only be found through broad collaboration across companies, institutions and countries” states Hubertus von Baumbach, Chairman of the Board of Managing Directors. “We are contributing to several initiatives and on many levels to bring together the best of science and knowledge to defeat COVID-19. Since January, a highly committed group of people at Boehringer Ingelheim, with a very broad skillset, has passionately contributed their know-how. They seek solutions to end the pandemic, with a focus on a range of treatment options. We support the COVID-19 global access communiqué to bring new, effective products to all patients who need them around the world. We are calling on the private and public sector to join us in this commitment.”

Boehringer Ingelheim acknowledges the need for speedy solutions in the fight against Covid-19. The speed however will not trump patient safety considerations, which remain a top priority. Collaborative effort and scientific innovations as well as adherence to scientific and ethical standards are all key to laying the foundation to combat the current and future pandemics. Boehringer Ingelheim supports the global access communique because it is aware that innovative research alone will not be able to stop the pandemic – instead, innovative collaborations with governments, multilateral institutions, companies, NGOs and others are necessary. Boehringer is committed to do its part and calls upon all others to do theirs.  

The communique is available on the website of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.