Ensuring Collective Efforts Deliver Equitable Access Through the WHO PABS System

For years, MSF’s response to infectious disease outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics in humanitarian and resource‑limited settings has shown a stark reality: patients and communities who contribute vital samples, data, and clinical participation to lifesaving innovations are too often left behind and denied access to the very products they help make possible.

Drawing on MSF’s frontline experience across multiple outbreaks, including Ebola and COVID‑19, MSF has advocated for the WHO Pandemic Agreement to establish a multilateral system that ensures fair and equitable benefit‑sharing in exchange for access to pathogens and genetic resources used in research and development (R&D), including clinical trials.

This paper presents MSF’s recommendations and key considerations for a strong and effective WHO Pathogen Access and Benefit‑Sharing (PABS) System capable of delivering reliable, equitable, and accountable access to vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments developed from shared samples and data.

MSF’s key recommendations include:

1. Access to pathogens, materials and data should be based on clear and enforceable benefit-sharing terms and conditions agreed upfront.
2. Non-exclusive licensing on to WHO or WHO-supported initiatives must be included as an essential benefit-sharing obligation to facilitate technology transfer and diversified production of medical products.
3. PABS implementation should be substantively connected with Article 13 of the Pandemic Agreement to facilitate coordinated stockpiling and equitable allocation, including for humanitarian needs.
4. Member States and PABS should provide public access to information on recipients of PABS materials and data, agreements signed with manufacturers and other participants, and regulatory approval information.