Posted by Michael Wonder on 24 Sep 2016
Access to medicines - the status quo is no longer an option
24 September 2016 - Last week, the much anticipated report of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on Access To Medicines, Promoting innovation & access to health technologies, was published.
The independent panel sought recommendations to solve the disjunction between trade and the patent system with fulfilment of the right to health. This misalignment continues to be a barrier to affordable access to essential medicines.
The report's strong focus on the use of human rights as the basis of policies and on access to medicines in all countries is to be commended; as is the open documentation of statements of disagreement among the panel, or that some recommendations were not bold enough. Important were the renewed calls for an international R&D convention and more public financing for R&D. Concrete approaches to improve transparency, good governance, and accountability were all emphasised, including punitive action against parties that pressure countries that use TRIPS flexibilities.
