Scientific innovation is bringing a healthier world within reach, but patients in medically underserved regions continue to face barriers to the medicines they urgently need. For over 150 years, Bristol Myers Squibb has been at the forefront of global health, and we are dedicated to overcoming these challenges and expanding access to our transformative therapies.
A critical part of our efforts to reach patients in low- and middle-income countries or LMICs is driven by our ASPIRE strategy – which stands for Accessibility, Sustainability, Patient-centricity, Impact, Responsibility and Equity. Launched in 2024, this 10-year initiative is focused on expanding access to our innovative treatments and delivering potentially life-saving medicines to patients in LMICs. In 2023, we set a 2x2 10-year goal for ASPIRE - doubling both the number of patients accessing BMS’ innovative medicines in LMICs and the number of countries where BMS medicines are available.
ASPIRE is off to a strong start and in 2024, we reached 128,000 patients while expanding into markets in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. In 2025, we further increased our presence in LMICs by doubling our footprint to 45 countries and achieving a 23% increase in patients served.
BMS-IMAP (Innovative Medicine Access Program) is a cornerstone of ASPIRE’s mission, designed to expand access to BMS medicines for patients in lower-income LMICs, where healthcare infrastructure and supply chains are often lacking. Since 2022, IMAP has enabled legal, compliant importation of medicines directly to institutions, and provided medical training on safe and appropriate use of our medicines for healthcare professionals. The program now operates in 26 centers The program now operates in 26 centers in 10 LMICs across Asia, East & West Africa, and has already served over 125 patients. Using expertise across our Medical Affairs team and web-based content, we have completed trainings in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and trained over 90 healthcare providers.
The progress we have achieved through our LMIC strategy at BMS has had a tangible impact on patients. Take Book, a young man living in Thailand — a country with a high prevalence of beta thalassemia. Book gained access to new medicines through the ASPIRE program and can focus on his dreams rather than being defined by his illness.
I have beta thalassemia, which causes anemia.
For example, during times I was very sick, just crossing an overpass or climbing stairs to cross the road.
It would make me feel exhausted.
People would see me as looking young in their eyes and appearing not very healthy.
They assumed I couldn´t work to my full capacity, so I missed out on job opportunities in that area.
After getting the doctor´s recommendation about a new medication, I felt hopeful once again.
Since I started taking this medicine, I feel brighter and more confident to go out and live life more fully.
These days I even go out to play badminton with friends, and I feel I can play longer.
I also want to tell all thalassemia patients – you can have both a better life and better health.
To learn more about our work to enable timely access to innovative medicines in LMICs, please check out our annual Impact Report.
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Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. As global citizens, we work sustainably and responsibly to create a positive impact in the communities where we live and work.