To read the full letter from the United Nations Secretary General to the High-Level Panel, click here.
(Arabic/Chinese/French/ Russian/Spanish)
Click here to read the Panel Co-chairs Letter to the Secretary-General on the Access to Medicines Report.
United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines Calls For New Deal to Close the Health Innovation and Access Gap
Whether it’s the rising price of the EpiPen, or new outbreaks of diseases, like Ebola, Zika and yellow fever, the rising costs of health technologies and the lack of new tools to tackle health problems, like antimicrobial resistance, is a problem in rich and poor countries alike.
According to a High-Level Panel convened to advise the UN Secretary-General on improving access to medicines, the world must take bold new approaches to both health technology innovation and ensuring access so that all people can benefit from the medical advances that have dramatically improved the lives of millions around the world in the last century.
For decades, many international treaties and national constitutions have enshrined the fundamental right to health and the right to share in the benefits of scientific advancements. Yet, while the world is witnessing the immense potential of science and technology to advance health care, gaps and failures in addressing disease burdens and emerging diseases in many countries and communities remain. The misalignment between the right to health on the one hand and intellectual property and trade on the other, fuel this tension.
The UN Secretary-General established the High-Level Panel to propose solutions for addressing the incoherencies between international human rights, trade, intellectual property rights and public health objectives. The report recommendations come at the end of a ten-month process for the Panel under the leadership of Ruth Dreifuss, the former President of the Swiss Confederation and Festus Mogae, the former President of the Republic of Botswana.
“Policy incoherencies arise when legitimate economic, social and political interests and priorities are misaligned or in conflict with the right to health,” said President Ruth Dreifuss. “On the one hand, governments seek the economic benefits of increased trade. On the other, the imperative to respect patents on health technologies could, in certain instances, create obstacles to the public health objectives and the right to health.”
The Panel has formulated a set of concrete recommendations to help improve research and development of health technologies and people’s access to vital therapies that are currently priced out-of-reach of patients and governments alike. The Panel’s report points out that the cost of health technologies are putting a strain on both rich and poor countries.
“With no market incentives, there is an innovation gap in diseases that predominantly affect neglected populations, rare diseases and a crisis particularly with antimicrobial resistance, which poses a threat to humanity,” said Malebona Precious Matsoso, Director General of the National Department of Health of South Africa. “Our report calls on governments to negotiate global agreements on the coordination, financing and development of health technologies to complement existing innovation models, including a binding R&D Convention that delinks the costs of R&D from end prices.”
The Panel suggested that initially governments should form a working group to begin negotiating a Code of Principles for Biomedical R&D, and report annually on their progress in negotiating and implementing the Code in preparation for negotiating the Convention.
The Panel examined the way in which the application of the flexibilities found in the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has facilitated access to health technologies, and how WTO Members can tailor national intellectual property law, competition law, government procurement and drug regulatory laws and regulations to fulfil public health obligations.
The new report noted with grave concern reports of governments being subjected to undue political and economic pressure to forgo the use of TRIPS flexibilities. The Panel felt strongly that this pressure undermines the efforts of governments to meet their human rights and public health obligations and violates the integrity and legitimacy of the Doha Declaration.
“WTO Members must make full use of TRIPS flexibilities as reaffirmed by the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health. This is essential to promote access to health technologies,” said Michael Kirby, member of the High-Level Panel and chair of the Expert Advisory Group. “In particular, governments and the private sector must refrain from explicit or implicit threats, tactics or strategies that undermine the right of WTO Members to use TRIPS flexibilities. WTO Members must register complaints against undue political and economic pressure. They need to take strong, effective measures against offending Members.”
Transparency was a recurring theme throughout the report of the High-Level Panel. The Panel repeatedly raised concerns regarding the negative impact of insufficient transparency on both health technology innovation and access. The Panel was also critical of the lack of transparency surrounding bilateral free trade and investment negotiations. The Panel views transparency as a core component of robust and effective accountability frameworks needed to hold all stakeholders responsible for the impact of their actions on innovation and access.
“A paradigm shift in transparency is needed to ensure that the costs of R&D, production, marketing, and distribution, as well as the end prices of health technologies are clear to consumers and governments,” said President Festus Mogae. “Governments should require manufacturers and distributors of health technologies to disclose these costs and the details of any public funding received in the development of health technologies, including tax credits, subsidies, and grants.”
The Panel also recommended the UN General Assembly convene a Special Session no later than 2018 on health technology innovation and access to agree on strategies and an accountability framework that will accelerate efforts towards promoting innovation and ensuring access in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Media Contact:
John Butler, GHS, jbutler@globalhealthstrategies.com, +1 917 573 1339
Andrea Vogt, GHS, avogt@globalhealthstrategies.com, +1 561 602 8162
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invokes the memory of Madiba and calls for Universal Access to Medicines at International Aids Conference
DURBAN—The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines convened a press briefing on Nelson Mandela International Day. On the sidelines of the 21st International AIDS Conference, being held in Durban, treatment activists requested the release of the Panel’s much anticipated recommendations. Inside the briefing, the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underscored his commitment to the process and recounted the underlying reasons why he established the Panel to promote innovation and increase access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.
“Sixteen years ago, when the AIDS conference was last held in Durban, less than 1 percent of all people living with HIV in poorer countries had access to treatment. Millions died waiting for medicines. Today, more than 17 million people receive treatment,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “If we want to reach the universal health coverage by 2030, we have to break down barriers to treatment. And we need to develop treatments for tuberculosis, neglected tropical diseases and other unmet needs.”
The High-Level Panel was convened in November 2015, following the adoption of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, to address the policy incoherence between the justifiable rights of inventors, international human rights law, trade rules and public health in the context of health technologies.
“At present, the world is struggling to respond effectively to challenges like antimicrobial resistance, tuberculosis, diseases of the poor and rare diseases because there is not a clear immediate return on investment,” said Ruth Dreifuss. “The Panel is looking at how to ensure that innovation is sufficiently rewarded, while also making progress towards universal health coverage by increasing access to health technologies.”
To take into account expert contributions from all stakeholders, the Panel issued a call for contributions in December 2015 and subsequently received 182 submissions from the private sector government, civil society groups, multilateral organizations and academia. In March 2016, the Panel held two global dialogues – in London and Johannesburg – where participants from around the world gathered in person and online to discuss and propose solutions to the challenges of promoting innovation and access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics.
“The history of South Africa should inspire us, and remind us that there are many ways to encourage more innovation where it is needed and make progress on the issue of access to medicines,” said Malebona Precious Matsoso, High-Level Panel Member and Director-General, Department of Health, South Africa. “I hope the report contains many routes of action that we can take immediately and build toward the future.”
The briefing follows eight months of intensive collaboration by the panel, which is comprised of members from industry, government, civil society and academia. The Panel is now finalizing its report before presenting it to the UN Secretary-General.
“We hope this report helps to develop new pathways to innovation and access to health technologies,” said Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of Health and HIV at the United Nations Development Programme. “This Panel has an important mandate and we’re thankful to all panel members and contributors who have participated and contributed their ideas and proposals to move this issue forward.”
The Durban AIDS conference will see approximately 18,000 participants come together to mark the progress made in tackling HIV since the game changing conference held at the same venue 16 years ago. It will also look at the challenges that still need to be overcome when tackling HIV and co-infections such as tuberculosis and hepatitis limited research and development and growing drug resistance.
“Millions of people died unnecessary in South Africa and across the world because HIV and AIDS drugs weren’t available to those that needed them. In Durban sixteen years ago, treatment activists told the world know that everyone with HIV and AIDS had a right to treatment,” said Lorena Di Giano, Member of the High-Level Panel’s Expert Advisory Group and General Coordinator of the Latin American Network for Access to Medicines. “Despite progress on HIV and AIDS, we must relook at a system that doesn’t produce the innovation needed to tackle ancient diseases like tuberculosis or indeed ensure health technologies are reaching those that need them most.
Note to the Editor
The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines comprises of 16 eminent, well-respected individuals with a deep knowledge and understanding of the broad range of legal, trade, public health and human rights issues associated with innovation and access to medicines and health technologies. Biographies and additional information on the High-Level Panel can be accessed from www.UNSGaccessmeds.org.
Media Contact:
John Butler, Global Health Strategies, jbutler@globalhealthstrategies.com +27 741680860, +1 917 573 1339
UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines releases official statement regarding speculative media reports.
A high level panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is due to report next month on equal and affordable access to medicine around the world.
Can international law be changed to make the human right to health real? Michael Kirby, former judge on Australia’s supreme court and a member of the UN’s High Level Panel on Access to Medicines is optimistic.
Release: The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines hosted its final “Global Dialogue” in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 17 March 2016. Campaigners from the Treatment Action Campaign held a large rally outside the conference demanding reform of patent laws. Inside the meeting, hundreds of people from around the world joined online and in-person – from industry, government, civil society groups, multilateral organizations and academia – to discuss new ideas and solutions to increase access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics and promote innovation in health technologies.
By Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of Health and HIV at the United Nations Development Programme - On the 61st anniversary of Alexander Fleming’s death, we are on the road back to where he started: the days of people dying from common infections and injuries.
Release: The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines hosted the first of two “Global Dialogues” in London, UK, on 10 March 2016. Hundreds of people from around the world joined online and in-person – from industry, government, civil society groups, multilateral organizations and academia – to discuss the solutions and barriers to increasing access to medicines, vaccines and diagnostics and promoting innovation in health technologies.
By Mandeep Dhaliwal, UNDP - From the poorest countries to the most prosperous, critical medicines continue to be inaccessible to those who need them. In the face of the recently adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 3 which commits the world to “ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages”, it is critical that policy makers examine how to optimise efforts to promote access to new medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, and related health technologies, while also providing the incentives that encourage much needed new research and innovation.
Release: The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines is calling for contributions to one of the greatest public health challenges of our time – how to promote innovation and increase access to medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and related health technologies in low-, middle-, and high-income countries.
By Helen Clark, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme.
Despite the progress that has been made in tackling a number of major global health challenges over the past three decades, so many people have been left behind. Disease and poor health are still big barriers to social and economic development in many countries, and our world has yet to witness truly inclusive and equitable development.
The United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines held its first meeting today. The panel committed itself to finding solutions that will increase access to medicines, while continuing to promote investment in new treatments to save the lives of millions.
by UNAIDS - The recently appointed United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines is meeting for the first time on 11 and 12 December in New York, United Sates of America, to explore innovative approaches to ensuring access to medicines for people most in need. The panel was set up as part of efforts to realize Sustainable Development Goal 3: ensuring healthy lives and promoting the well-being of people of all ages.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the establishment of 15-member High-Level Panel on health technology innovation and access, in an effort to facilitate investments in research and development for diseases where financial returns are not guaranteed.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the establishment of a high-level panel on health technology innovation and access.