

A resolution on clinical trials was tabled and adopted at the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2022. While the resolution aims to strengthen the coordination of clinical trials, avoid duplication of efforts and encourage timely publication of data, it missed the opportunity to mandate reporting of clinical trial costs, including those funded by the public sector.
However, legislation is beginning to emerge in a number of countries with a focus on disclosure of R&D costs, including in the US and Brazil. Work is also being done to define how clinical trial costs can be captured on a practical level, and what data are needed. To build on these initiatives and highlight the importance of clinical trial cost transparency for access to medical products, the MSF Access Campaign hosted a roundtable on 17 May 2022, in the week leading up to the 2022 WHA. This report summarises the themes of the discussion and makes the following recommendations: