2018-10-01
Geneva, 1 October 2018
By: Andreas Sandgren, ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance, on behalf of Stichting Health Action International
15:30-17:00 The discussion on Annex 1 and 2 focuses on Annex 1 and 2, including Selected Financing Mechanisms and the current R&D Landscape, and and overall discussion of the way forward with the work on the framework.
Chair, on behalf of Health Action International, ReAct – Action on Antibiotic Resistance is grateful for the opportunity to take the floor again.
- R&D financing cannot be seen a separate issue from securing affordable access nor stewardship of end products. The choices that governments make on R&D financing models will greatly impact our efforts to secure affordable access to end products, as well as our ability to preserve their effectiveness through stewardship efforts.
- Given that the principles for R&D adopted in the UN Political Declaration on AMR are at the core of the framework it is of great concern to us to see “Priority Review Vouchers” and “Transferable market exclusivity” listed as possible financing mechanisms for R&D.
- These mechanisms further cement the market-based innovation model that over the last decades has failed to respond to global public health needs which has led to the decades long innovation void for the development of truly novel antibiotics.
- “More of the same” is rarely a solution to any problem – especially not one where such stark evidence exists that new approaches are needed.
- These mechanisms should therefore be marked as “not suitable” in annex 1 in the same way other mechanisms that aren’t relevant have been marked.
- The table of annex 1 should include an assessment of the degree to which these mechanisms respond to the ‘guiding principles’ listed both in the annex and under ‘3.2 Basic principles for needs-driven R&D that fosters access to new products.
- Finally, on table 1 in annex 2, on existing global, regional and industry initiatives, this only refers to initiatives on the human health side. We wonder where are the initiatives on the animal and environmental side?
Contact: andreas.sandgren@medsci.uu.se