The United Nations High-level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance on September 26, 2024: Uniting to Enable the Global Response to the Silent Pandemic
By Viviana Munoz Tellez
The “silent pandemic” of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is getting worse and requires a global response built on international cooperation and solidarity. On 26 September 2024, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly will hold a second High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance. The dedicated meeting is a new effort to bring urgent attention by leaders for increased action on the growing risk of untreatable infections becoming more widespread and of increasing mortality.
Ongoing Negotiation of a Pandemic Accord: South Centre’s Intervention to WHO Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
18 September 2024
We are pleased to be participating in the morning open sessions of the World Health Organization Intergovernmental Negotiating Body’s 11th meeting for the negotiation of a pandemic instrument. See our intervention on 18 September 2024.
Catalyzing Policy Action to Address Antimicrobial Resistance: Next Steps for Global Governance
By Anthony D. So
The United Nations General Assembly has taken up Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) twice in the past decade, but the follow-through on commitments and financing of both Global and National Action Plans on AMR have lagged considerably behind the policymaker pronouncements. The need to update the intersectoral approach to the Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance requires urgent attention if measurable progress is to be made in tackling this One Health challenge. This paper identifies where progress must pick up and outlines how intersectoral action might catalyze needed next steps.
Financial Support for Civil Society Advocacy during World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) 2024
The South Centre invites applications from civil society organizations and research institutions from developing countries for limited financial funding to design and launch or extend impactful advocacy campaigns that engage local government, communities and media to address antimicrobial resistance.
The scope of the campaigns can be human health, the human-animal interface, use of antimicrobials in food production systems, the role of the environment in the transmission and spread of AMR, and the link of Universal Health Coverage with AMR.
The campaigns should take place around the World AMR Awareness Week 2024. The WAAW 2024 theme is “Educate. Advocate. Act now”, and it will be held from 18 to 24 November 2024.
Equity and Pandemic Preparedness: Navigating the 2024 Amendments to the International Health Regulations
By Nirmalya Syam
The amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) agreed upon in May 2024 are important for strengthening global health emergency preparedness and response. The negotiations resulted in the IHR amendment now recognizing the importance of equity, including equitable access to health products, enhancing IHR core capacities, and mobilizing financing. The amendments note the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in facilitating timely access to necessary health products by removing barriers and supporting local production and distribution. However, the WHO authority to effectively act in those areas is limited. The IHR as amended will establish a Coordinating Financial Mechanism to provide predictable and sustainable financing for its implementation, particularly in developing countries.
Despite some advancements, the amendments fall short of imposing concrete obligations on developed countries to facilitate timely access to health products and financial support and transfer of technology to developing countries. Overall, the amended IHR represent a significant step toward a more equitable global health framework, setting a precedent for future international health instruments, including the proposed pandemic treaty.
The South Centre is seeking to fill a consultancy position to support its activities in the area of tackling antimicrobial resistance in developing countries.
Negotiating Health and Autonomy: Data Exclusivity, Healthcare Policies and Access to Pharmaceutical Innovations
By Henrique Zeferino De Menezes, Julia Paranhos, Ricardo Lobato Torres, Luciana Correia Borges, Daniela De Santana Falcão and Gustavo Soares Felix Lima
This paper analyzes the debate over the international dissemination of data exclusivity as a form of protection for clinical trial data. This is a critical demand for pharmaceutical companies seeking larger market shares and longer periods of monopoly in order to recover investments in research and development and greater profitability. However, this is a sensitive issue with economic and social repercussions for developing countries that adopt this protection regime. This paper highlights critical issues for the political economy of innovation and presents a review of empirical studies that show that data exclusivity delays the entry of generic drugs into the market, increasing prices and reducing access. At the same time, its adoption has no benefits because there are no positive effects on internal technological innovation, nor reduction of the “International drug lag”, nor the development of drugs for specific epidemiological demands.
The Vaccine Industry After the COVID-19 Pandemic: An International Perspective
By Felix Lobo
The purpose of this report is to analyze the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the vaccine industry from an international perspective. The objective is to learn from the experience and contribute to the design of better tools for future vaccine development and manufacturing, as we must be prepared for future emerging infectious diseases with the potential for global expansion. This industry makes fundamental contributions to global social welfare, but from a business point of view it is complex and difficult to manage, and from an economic point of view it is an industry that does not fit the paradigm of competitive market efficiency with notorious market failures.
We examine the impact of the pandemic on innovation and the scientific, technological and industrial development of vaccines and find that certain elements of the industry’s structure have changed, while others have remained. We also summarize the lessons learned from the deployment of some public policies to boost supply and drive demand, paying particular attention to the inequity in the global distribution of vaccines and to the COVAX program. We conclude that some of the policies have been very effective, while others have not fully achieved their objectives. From the achievements and limitations, lessons can be drawn for the reformulation and expansion of global public policies that would stimulate R&D, manufacturing, distribution and access.
