Sustainable access to essential medicines is crucial at all times, especially during a pandemic when health-care systems are operating at maximum capacity and there is an increased demand for lifesaving supplies. Moreover, in pandemics, not only health-care systems but also global medicine supply chains are under severe stress. Shortages of medicines, which were common before 2020,1,2 have been exacerbated by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic because of increased demand, lockdowns, border closure and hoarding…more