On Friday, 24 May 2013, in the United States’ intervention to the 66th World Health Assembly’s deliberations on the Consultative Expert Working Group on R&D Financing, the US dropped a bombshell by proposing a decision point with the following language. We expect the Assembly to reconvene at 14:30 Geneva time and discuss the US proposal.
Directs the WHO Secretariat to convene an advisory meeting including government representatives and technical experts from external stakeholders and the private sector at the discretion of the Secretariat at the earliest date, in order to take forward action in relation to monitoring, coordination and financing for health R&D, in accordance with the terms of Resolution A66/XX. Such a meeting should particularly include members of the biomedical research community at a technical level and those currently involved in managing funds for research and development, with a mandate to:1) assist in the identification of translational research projects and the methodologies for coordinating research for the demonstration projects, in ways that emphasize the de-linkage of cost of R&D from product price; and
2) identify ways to promote advocacy for identified R&D needs, and seek voluntary financing for the demonstration project.
And, this is an audio of the debate this morning.