WHO launches COVID-19 pool with 37 countries
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a COVID-19 technology pool, with 37 countries and multiple international partners and institutions rallying together to support the initiative.
Proposed by Costa Rica in March this year, the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool is aimed at making vaccines, tests, treatments and other health technologies to fight COVID-19 accessible to all.
“The COVID-19 Technology Access Pool will ensure the latest and best science benefits all of humanity,” said President Carlos Alvarado of Costa Rica. “Vaccines, tests, diagnostics, treatments and other key tools in the coronavirus response must be made universally available as global public goods”.
Today, May 29, the WHO announced that there are five key elements to the voluntary initiative, including the public disclosure of gene sequences and data, and transparency around the publication of all clinical trial results.
The initiative also encourages governments and other funders to include clauses in funding agreements with pharmaceutical companies and other innovators about equitable distribution, affordability and the publication of trial data.
The fourth element focuses on the licensing of any potential treatment, diagnostic, vaccine or other health technology to the Medicines Patent Pool, a United Nations-backed public health body.
Earlier this month, the US queried the reference to “existing mechanisms for voluntary pooling … of patents” within a resolution on the global handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The resolution, which was put before ministers and officials from member states for the annual World Health Assembly, includes a review of the WHO’s response to the pandemic, in addition to the establishment of a voluntary patent pool.
“It is critical that any such voluntary mechanisms as applied to COVID-19 related technologies be narrowly tailored in scope and duration to the medical needs of the current crisis, and that the World Intellectual Property Organization, as the UN agency with technical expertise on IP issues, play an appropriate role in their operation and evolution,” said the US Mission to the UN in Geneva.
The voluntary patent pool also promotes open innovation models and technology transfer that increase local manufacturing and supply capacity, including through joining the Open COVID Pledge and the Technology Access Partnership (TAP).
Launched in late March, the Open COVID Pledge urges companies to grant free and temporary licences to use their patent and copyright protected technology to end the pandemic.
Intel joined the pledge as a founding sponsor in early April. Other companies, including Amazon, Facebook, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM, Microsoft, and Sandia National Laboratories have since followed suit.
A number of UN bodies, including the United Nations Technology Bank, and WHO launched TAP earlier in May, to support developing countries to scale up local production of critical health technologies needed to combat COVID-19.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Global solidarity and collaboration are essential to overcoming COVID-19. Based on strong science and open collaboration, this information-sharing platform will help provide equitable access to life-saving technologies around the world.”
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