Spotlight on experiences of medicine unavailability: access to medicines challenges for NCDs and NTDs - the contrasting cases of insulin and praziquantel.

Many actors responded to the London Declaration which reinforced praziquantel's central role in control and elimination of schistosomiasis whereas access to affordable insulin emerged secondary to framing around prevention and management of diabetes. For insulin key stakeholders are not aligned around access. The position taken by pharmaceutical companies as donors versus commercial actors was critical to sustainable affordable access to these medicines. Integrated access models for low resource populations need shared pathways given the increasing need for essential medicines in the context of Universal Health Coverage.