WHO Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations

KEI statement to the Working Group on Amendments to the International Health Regulations
December 7, 2023

KEI agrees with others that the IHR regulations should incorporate measures to address equitable access to products.

KEI reminds delegations that in 2019, the WHA adopted the resolution WHA72.8 on “Improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines, and other health products.”

Among the measures that we hope can be reflected in future revisions of the IHR are measures to implement the transparency obligations in WHA72.8, including but not limited to those relating to the transparency of prices and units sold for counter measures, and the transparency and collection of data on R&D subsidies, patent landscapes and the outcomes, costs and subsidies relating to relevant clinical trials.

The delegates may want the secretariat to make a presentation on the obligations in WHA72.8 that are relevant to the IHR.