Category Access to Medicine

WHO Recognizes the Open COVID Pledge as a Means to Advance Research and Science in the Fight Against COVID-19

[Diane Peters] Today, under the leadership of the World Health Organization, more than three dozen member countries and other organizations announced their support of the WHO’s Solidarity Call to Action. We are pleased that within this statement of principles, the Open COVID Pledge is featured as a mechanism that allows holders of valuable COVID intellectual property to meet the WHO’s call to action by immediately and freely making IP available to anyone for purposes of combating the disease. Through the generosity and vision of pledgors, this intellectual property can be used to develop and rapidly innovate medicines, test kits, vaccines, equipment, software and other technology to mitigate the pandemic’s impact. We count among our current Pledgors many technology giants, as well as research projects and institutes.

US-, China- and EU-First Nationalism and COVID-19 Technology Hoarding Push the Rest of the World to the End of the Line

[Brook Baker] With the world racing to find new vaccines and therapies to respond to the escalating COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s biggest economies are pursuing nationalistic policies, racing to the front of the line with sweetheart deals to fund research and development in exchange for preferential access to life-saving health products. These same countries (along with others) have also imposed selfish and unnecessary export controls limiting supply of needed health supplies to other countries.[1] This unbridled nationalism, interlinked with a broken, profit-driven pharmaceutical system risks obstructing access to life-saving medicines worldwide. This should be a moment for transformative, systemic change, but instead of an innovative response and true global solidarity we’re seeing the same old business-as-usual.

The 73rd World Health Assembly and Resolution on COVID-19: Quest of Global Solidarity for Equitable Access to Health Products

[Nirmalya Syam, Mirza Alas and Vitor Ido] Abstract: The annual meeting of the World Health Assembly (WHA) of the World Health Organization (WHO) held virtually on 18-19 May 2020 discussed the global response to COVID-19 and adopted Resolution WHA73.1 on “COVID-19 Response”... Though the Resolution makes a commitment of ensuring access to medical products, vaccines and equipment for all countries in a timely manner, there are no concrete actions defined. In order to ensure global equitable access, WHO Members should make full use of the flexibilities of the Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and also enhance transparency of costs of research and development (R&D), openness and sharing of data, tools and technologies, and build more capacity through technology transfer.

A COALITION OF STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS LAUNCH ADVOCACY TRACKER TOOL OF PUBLIC FUNDS FOR COVID-19 AT KEY UNIVERSITIES

[Universities Allied for Essential Medicine Europe] Today, May 18th, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), in collaboration with multiple American medical student organizations, has launched an interactive mapping tool that highlights key research universities and institutions that are receiving taxpayer money to develop novel diagnostics, therapeutics, and/or vaccines for COVID-19. The tool powerfully demonstrates the indispensable role of universities, public research institutions and public funding in the development of novel medical technologies. By visualizing where public funding is being directed, this tool contributes to transparency regarding the current significant levels of public investment and aims to hold research universities and institutions accountable to their social responsibilities to the public by ensuring any resulting technologies will be affordable and accessible to all.

New policy paper on fundamental rights as a limit to copyright during emergencies

[Teresa Nobre] Today, Communia released a policy paper on fundamental rights as a limit to copyright during emergencies. This policy paper has been prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused a massive disruption of the normal organization of society in many EU countries. In our paper we defend that, in order to transpose education, research and other public interest activities from public locations to private homes during government-imposed lockdowns, we need to be able to rely on the understanding that fundamental rights can, in exceptional situations, function as an external limit to our national copyright systems.

World leaders unite in call for a people’s vaccine against COVID-19

[UNAIDS Press Release] More than 140 world leaders and experts, including the President of South Africa and Chair of the African Union, Cyril Ramaphosa, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, the President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall and the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo have signed an open letter calling on all governments to unite behind a people’s vaccine against COVID-19. The call was made just days before health ministers meet virtually for the World Health Assembly on 18 May. The letter, which marks the most ambitious position yet set out by world leaders on a COVID-19 vaccine, demands that all vaccines, treatments and tests be patent-free, mass produced, distributed fairly and made available to all people, in all countries, free of charge.

Availability of research articles for the public during pandemic – a case study

[Augustine Joshua Devasahayam] Abstract: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) disease has affected millions of lives, forcing most of us to stay at home and work. However, there is an immediate need to conduct research on potential drugs against COVID-19. In this article, the extent to which major publishers have provided access for the public to read research articles relevant to potential drug candidates for the COVID-19 disease are presented.

Gilead Remdesivir Licenses: Half measures are not nearly good enough

The deadly public policy of letting Big Pharma companies like Gilead control access to COVID-19 therapies is clearer now than ever before. While promising “global access” out of one side of its mouth, Gilead has shown its true intentions with new, confidential bilateral licenses negotiated with five generic companies in India and Pakistan. These licenses only cover approximately 52% of the global population leaving the other 48% of the whim of Gilead’s monopoly-based predations. These licenses exclude people living in at least 73 countries and territories, including, outrageously, 30 low- and middle-income countries. Gilead wants to exercise total monopoly control over manufacture and sale in those 73 countries, giving it unfettered freedom to charge prices far in excess of the estimated $5-$10 per treatment that it costs to manufacture remdesivir.

WIPO Responds to Call to Act with New Tools on IP/COVID

The World Intellectual Property Organization has released two new initiatives and a policy statement on intellectual property and responses to the COVID pandemic. The new initiatives and policy statement respond to many of the issues raised in an earlier letter from a broad coalition to WIPO’s Director General asking for a clear stance on intellectual property and the COVID pandemic.

COVID-19: The duty to document does not cease in a crisis, it becomes more essential

This statement about the duty to document was developed by ICA and the International Conference of Information Commissioners, supported by ARMA International, CODATA, Digital Preservation Coalition, Research Data Alliance, UNESCO Memory of the World and World Data System. The statement is built on three principles: Decisions must be documented; Records and data should be secured and preserved in all sectors; and The security, preservation, and access to digital content should be facilitated during the shutdown.

Research Data Alliance COVID-19 Guidelines and Recommendations

[EIFL] The Research Data Alliance (RDA) COVID-19 Working Group has released draft guidelines and recommendations for sharing research data in ways that support scientific research and policy making during public health emergencies. The group is calling for feedback on the draft guidelines. Feedback will inform the Working Group’s discussions and be incorporated into the next version of the guidelines and recommendations. You can post your feedback here. The deadline is 24 May.