WHO, WIPO, WTO Launch updated Study on Access
to Medical Technologies and Innovation
On 29 July, the Directors-General of the World Health Organization
(WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the WTO presented
a new edition of the Trilateral Study on Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation.
Building on the first edition launched in 2013, the publication seeks to strengthen
the understanding of the interplay between the distinct policy domains of health,
trade and intellectual property (IP), and how they affect innovation and access
to medical technologies, such as medicines, vaccines and medical devices. The second
edition provides an improved, evidence-based foundation for policy debate and informed
decision-making at a critical time for global health.
In a
video message released
on the day of the launch, WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo
emphasized the need for policy coherence and collaboration. Recognizing the close
link between the health, trade and IP dimensions, he noted that “coherent approaches
to vital medical technologies that bring together the key determinants for innovation
as well as access” were required and needed “to span the entire process, from research
to development to manufacturing and delivery to those in need”.
DG Azevêdo said: “Close collaboration between our three specialized
agencies has yielded important practical benefits. Similar benefits could be replicated
at the domestic level by mirroring this integrated approach.” He expressed the hope
“that the revised material will support policy debate and help build governments’
capacity to deal with health challenges”. DG Azevêdo recalled
that “it is only through joint efforts at the global level that we can achieve our
shared public health goals” and that “cooperation is also necessary to prepare for
future health crises”, a goal to which the study contributes.
WIPO
Director General Francis Gurry said in a video message that the new edition of the
trilateral study is an important example of the three international organizations
bringing their separate expertise together to address core issues at the intersection
of health, trade and innovation. He observed that the original study, published
in 2013, was well received precisely because it provided a factual account of the
landscape on access to medical technologies and innovation, and of the multiplicity
of actors involved.
“Our
first duty,” DG Gurry said, “always is to survey what
the situation actually is” before determining the best way to improve it. He noted
that while the new edition coincides with the current global health crisis, it was
completed prior to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study nonetheless includes
a separate section on this hugely challenging and complex subject matter. DG Gurry underscored
the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and of cooperation amongst international
organizations as “the COVID-19 pandemic is showing the need for health, trade and
innovation policy to come together to provide the answers that we need to confront
this huge challenge for humanity”.
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said in his video message: "Barriers to access must
be removed, including unaffordable prices, intellectual property barriers, unjustified
tariffs and challenges in ensuring effective and efficient regulatory review."
"We
have seen over the past months how countries have mobilized unprecedented investments
in collaborative, not-for-profit research and development. The COVID-19 pandemic
is showing what we can do when we come together to face a shared global health threat.
That’s the kind of collaboration that can save lives and transform the health of
billions of people globally," he added.
The study
discusses key factors determining access to medical technologies and innovation,
including regarding medicines, vaccines and other medical technologies, such as
medical devices and diagnostics. The second edition draws practical lessons from
experiences regarding the intersections between public health, IP and trade within
the broader perspectives established by the human rights dimension of health and
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The study
records numerous significant developments since 2013 when the first edition was
launched. Among the new topics covered are antimicrobial resistance and cutting-edge
health technologies. The revised edition provides updated data on health, innovation
trends in the pharmaceutical sector, and trade and tariffs regarding medical products.
It also includes an updated overview of access to medical technologies globally
and key provisions in regional trade agreements. In addition, it takes account of
developments in IP legislation and jurisprudence.
A COVID-19
section at the start of the publication provides a factual overview of the developments
and measures taken to address this extraordinary public health crisis, which began
after the work on the second edition of the study had been completed. The section
guides the reader to parts of the study that are of direct relevance to the issues
that have been raised during the pandemic.
The study
is designed to serve as a reference tool for policy-makers in the widest sense –
lawmakers, government officials, delegates to international organizations, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), researchers, and all others who seek a compendium of the issues
at the intersection of global health, innovation and intellectual property and trade.
It is also designed to serve as a factual resource for the three organizations’
technical cooperation activities.