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The lack of access to essential medicines in developing countries is one of the most pressing global health issues. Tackling this issue could save millions of lives every year. Yet major inequities remain, with a limited supply of affordable medicines and inadequate health systems to deliver them in many developing countries, and a continuing shortage of new products to meet developing country health needs. This paper sets out the UK Government's assessment of the key challenges that must be addressed if we are to increase access to medicines in the developing world. It aims to communicate clearly both this assessment, and its plans. Section 2 sets out the scale of the problem and the relationship between poverty and health; section 3 outlines the issues that developing countries and their partners need to address; section 4 looks at recent progress; and section 5 covers the UK government's key objectives and plans
