This intervention on EWG was given by Michelle Childs, Director of Policy and Advocacy for the Access Campaign at the 63rd World Health Assembly.
Thank you Chair.
Médecins Sans Frontières urges Members States not to allow the momentum that led to The Global Strategy and Plan of Action to be lost, and to overcome the fundamental problems associated with the current commercial- reward-driven R&D
It is vital that the leadership of the WHO prioritises the Strategy’s implementation and ensures that the appropriate resources and expertise within the secretariat are not only maintained but strengthened, including where relevant engaging the support of expert committees. In this work the WHO must also include a commitment to meaningful engagement with public interest groups.
In relation to the Outcome of the Member State Consultation on the expert working group report, we share those concerns raised by Members States that insufficient attention was paid to the need to de-link the costs of research and development from the price of health products and that the criteria used to evaluate proposals did not take proper account of the relevant aspects of intellectual property rights.
Innovation is meaningless without access. A range of different funding mechanisms that allow de-linkage including push mechanisms (like PDPs) and pull mechanisms (like prizes) must be designed in a way that they deliver products that are able to answer medical needs, and that they encourage developers to consider the final cost of products during the design process, in order to ensure affordability.
The process agreed by Member States to address the limitations in the report must be guided by a strong terms of reference; that includes a specific review of current and proposed mechanisms to stimulate R&D in order to assess whether those deliver against the principle of de-linkage. Building on this, the WHO needs to provide guidance to Member States and stakeholders on ways to implement the principle of de-linkage.
We encourage Member States to establish innovative mechanisms that are based on de-linkage principles, in accordance with Element 5.3 of the Global Strategy and Plan of Action. Individual initiatives that can be established quickly, like a prize fund for a TB point-of-care diagnostic test, should be piloted and the UNITAID patent pool supported.
The lack of new and concrete financial mechanisms for financing R&D is concerning. We urge the WHO to publically advocate for the funding needs of health R&D in all fora where innovative financing mechanisms such as the financial transaction tax are discussed.
In parallel stakeholders must also begin the important, long term work on developing and agreeing the norms and principles that should guide research and development for health needs-driven R&D in a way that ensures equitable access.
Thank you Chair.