Proposed Pandemic Pact

A draft version of a ‘once-in-a-generation’ pact between the 194 WHO members calls for compulsory disclosure of prices and deals by pharmaceutical companies for products made to fight future global health emergencies.

The so-called Pandemic Treaty is a pact aimed at:

• preventing the next global health crisis from being as devastating as COVID-19

• improving the global response that left many of the world’s poorest countries behind.

The pact states that public funding for the development of vaccines and treatments: 

• should be more transparent

• ensure that resulting products are evenly distributed worldwide

Also proposed in the pact is:

• A peer review mechanism to assess how prepared countries are for another pandemic

• Better universal health coverage

• More domestic funding on preventing and dealing with pandemics

• Better access for WHO to investigate outbreak origins

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers called the draft ‘an important milestone’, but felt it was important not to undermine how pharma companies innovate and protect their intellectual property.

Described by the WHO Director-General as an opportunity to strengthen global health rules, the accord is in the early stages of negotiation and unlikely to be adopted until 2024, at the earliest.