Boehringer Ingelheim Rises to Sixth in 2026 Access to Medicine Index
Boehringer Ingelheim has secured sixth place in the 2026 Access to Medicine Index, continuing its improvement in the biennial ranking of pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to make healthcare more accessible in low- and middle-income countries. The company was ranked 13th in 2022 and eighth in 2024.
The latest result reflects progress in the company’s approach to healthcare access, which increasingly combines medicine availability and affordability with healthcare system development, local capabilities and research partnerships. According to the company, its initiatives are intended to address persistent gaps in healthcare provision while supporting more sustainable improvements in health outcomes.
Boehringer Ingelheim Advances in Access to Medicine Index
Published every two years, the Access to Medicine Index evaluates the activities of 20 leading pharmaceutical companies and ranks their efforts to improve access to medicines in low- and middle-income countries.
Boehringer Ingelheim performed above the Index average across all three assessment areas, with its strongest progress recorded in Product Delivery, the category carrying the greatest weighting.
The company’s performance reflects developments in its access programmes, long-term partnerships, open innovation activities and systems for measuring the impact of its initiatives.
Augusto Muench, Head of Sustainability at Boehringer Ingelheim, said improving healthcare access required more than individual interventions. He highlighted the importance of sustained cooperation to strengthen research, healthcare capabilities and treatment availability in underserved communities.
Muench described the improved ranking as recognition of the company’s progress, while emphasising that the more important objective was to translate these efforts into better health outcomes for a larger number of people.
Healthcare Access Programmes Expand Across Africa
Several initiatives highlighted in the 2026 assessment focus on improving healthcare delivery and strengthening local capabilities, particularly in African countries.
Cardio-renal-metabolic healthcare
Boehringer Ingelheim has developed more comprehensive access strategies for medicines addressing cardio-renal-metabolic (CRM) diseases. These approaches aim to improve medicine availability and affordability in low- and middle-income countries.
One example is its Access to Healthcare initiative in Kenya, which forms part of the company’s efforts to address barriers to treatment.
Partnerships and local capacity building
The company has also expanded long-term partnerships and capacity-building activities in Sub-Saharan Africa. These include an extended partnership with the Botswana Vaccine Institute.
In addition, Boehringer supports social entrepreneurs and healthcare-focused start-ups through business incubators, accelerator programmes and impact investments. These activities are intended to strengthen local innovation and healthcare capabilities.
CRM Patient Africa
Launched in 2025, CRM Patient Africa is a long-term initiative currently operating in Kenya, Rwanda and Ghana.
The programme brings together several elements of healthcare development, including research capacity building, patient screening and diagnostics, healthcare professional training and efforts to improve access to medicines.
By combining these activities, the initiative seeks to address multiple barriers to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardio-renal-metabolic conditions.
Global Health Initiatives Extend Their Reach
Boehringer Ingelheim also highlighted the continued expansion of its global health programmes, including Stop Rabies and the Angels Initiative.
The Angels Initiative works with ambulance personnel, nurses, doctors and hospitals to develop stroke-ready healthcare networks. According to the company, the initiative has reached more than 28 million stroke patients to date.
These programmes form part of its wider efforts to improve healthcare delivery through partnerships with medical professionals and healthcare institutions.
Open Science and Research Partnerships Strengthen Innovation
Research collaboration is another component of the company’s approach to healthcare access.
Through opnMe, its open-science platform, Boehringer Ingelheim works with academic researchers to support scientific collaboration and research and development capabilities.
Since the previous Access to Medicine Index assessment, research partners from countries covered by the Index have authored or co-authored more than 15 additional scientific publications, according to the company.
The initiative is intended to make research collaboration more accessible while strengthening scientific capabilities in countries where healthcare and research resources may be more limited.
Stronger Impact Measurement Supports Health Equity
Alongside expanding its programmes, Boehringer Ingelheim has placed greater emphasis on measuring their outcomes. More robust assessment methods are intended to improve tracking and reporting, providing a clearer picture of how access initiatives and healthcare system investments are reaching patients.
This focus follows the company’s strategic shift towards health equity in 2023.
Dr. James Kinniburgh, global MORE HEALTH lead at Boehringer Ingelheim, said expanding access alone was insufficient without understanding whether programmes were producing meaningful and lasting improvements.
He explained that stronger measurement could help identify effective approaches, capture lessons from implementation and direct resources towards activities with the greatest potential impact.
Boehringer Ingelheim Continues Its Health Equity Strategy
The sixth-place ranking in the 2026 Access to Medicine Index represents a further improvement in Boehringer Ingelheim’s position over the past four years.
The company’s approach extends beyond making medicines available. It also encompasses affordability, research collaboration, healthcare professional training, local institutional capacity and the measurement of health outcomes.
Boehringer Ingelheim says it will continue working with global health organisations, local partners and underserved communities to improve healthcare accessibility and affordability worldwide.
The longer-term challenge will be translating these programmes and partnerships into measurable, lasting improvements in healthcare access and patient outcomes across low- and middle-income countries.
