Draft Resolution 4.1
Regional Block: Eastern Asia and Western Pacific
Sponsors: China, India, Japan, Thailand
Signatories: Australia,Bangladesh, Belgium, Cambodia, DPRK, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Irak, Jamaica, Liberia, Malta, Mauritius, Namibia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, Teva
Addressing the Pharmaceutical Crisis – Access to Effective Vaccines and Therapeutics:
The World Health Organization General Assembly,
Deeply concerned by the aggressive nature of the current pandemic and increased strain resistance to conventional treatment,
Realising the urgent need for effective vaccines and therapeutics in affected nations to control this current pandemic,
Aware of the limitations of the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement in providing effective access to available patented pharmaceuticals for developing and least developed countries affected by the pandemic,
Also Aware of the lack of acceptance of the Doha Declaration amendments to TRIPS by WTO member nations to allow circumvention patent rights for provision of essential pharmaceuticals to protect public health in times of need,
Having considered that legal prosecution has previously hindered countries in their pursuit of better access to medicines in times of need,
Aware of the the ongoing evolution of diseases due to resistance and random mutation
Recognizing the need for continuing research during a pandemic to provide effective prevention, daignostics, and treatment,
Recognizing the need for low-cost preventation and treatment strategies for developing and least developed countries,
1.0 Supports collaboration with private proprietary and generic pharmaceutical companies to expedite effective prevention and management responses to the current pandemic and future outbreaks through research and development, production, and distribution, of effective novel vaccines and novel therapeutics
1.1 Endorses in part the proposal put forth by Johnson and Johnson, Merck, and Pfizer to create a patent pool to produce and distribute patent-protected vaccines and therapeutics
1.1.1 Calls upon all nations to monitor their borders to restrict the illegal importation and exportation of vaccines and therapeutics protected by patent laws and illegal counterfeits in order to provide access to safe, essential medicines at affordable prices to developing nations
1.1.2 Urges the international community to condemn the production of illegal counterfeit drugs as the safety and efficacy of these drugs is unproven.
1.1.3 Confirms that East Asia and Western Pacific is willing to enter into a patent pool as a region or sub regions, with specific representation open to negotiation
1.1.4 Recommends provisions for license agreements to generic companies and governments to increase production capacity in times of need
1.1.5 Recommends creation of an international board to influence decisions in a philanthropic spirit across regional patent pools and build consensus for actions taken during times of need
1.1.5.1 This international board would have two seats from each regional patent pool, rotating ever two years.
1.1.5.1.1 Proprietary pharmaceutical companies will have a single vote
1.1.5.1.2 Generic pharmaceutical companies will have a single vote
1.1.5.1.3 Developed, Developing, and least developed nations should have equal respresentation
1.1.5.1 Voting procedure should be determined by regions and associations themselves
1.1.5.5 Encourages pharmaceutical, generic companies and governments associated with a regional patent pool to be accountable and transparent about financial transactions and subsidiaries affecting the relevent patents
1.1.6 Calls upon pharmaceutical companies and regional pools to create a pool of funds set aside for countries with unmet need in times of outbreaks to be used for the procurement of necessary patented drugs or other necessary responses once all other sources of funding have been exhausted
1.2.1 Funds will be administered by the international board
1.2.1 Funds will be issued based on proportionate need for controlling the spread of disease
2.0 Calls for the establishment of a regional Emergency Response Collaborative Research and Enhanced Surveillance Program to monitor and expedite effective vaccine, drug, diagnostic testing and development to quickly control the evolving nature of diseases
2.1 To be activated upon declaration of a WHO Pandemic Level 2.
2.2 This research program will be comprised of one research coordinator from every participating country to be responsible for:
2.1.1 Allocating research resources internally and among participating countries based on capacity and expertise while ensuring all aspects of addressing the pandemic are met, including:
i. Monitoring the efficacy of current prevention and treatment measures, including screening and surveillance, diagnostics, and the safety and efficacy of current vaccines and therapeutics in order to design more effective strategies as needed
ii.Building local rapid diagnostic capacity to confirm suspected cases, and supplying excess capacity to participating countries as needed through diagnostic lab networks
iii. Coordinating characterization studies and developing novel vaccines and therapeutics
iv. Providing samples to WHO reference labs
2.1.2 Collecting and reporting current relevant data and results to their respective countries and to the program regarding the current pandemic on a daily basis.
2.1.3 Reporting to the WHO and other international bodies
2.1.3 Countries unable to commit resources to participate in this program will be offered access to excess capacity through local labs to confirm diagnoses and take appropriate precautions to control the spread of disease. They are still encouraged to provide samples to WHO reference labs if appropriate containment protocols are available.
2.1.5 Encourage the sharing of research personnel, especially infectious disease experts and pharmaceutical researchers, in order to develop local research and diagnostic capacity.
2.1.6 Encourage the sharing of tools and technology in order to develop local research and diagnotic capacity
2.1.7 Meet with participating delegates on a biweekly basis
2.3 During the activation of the program, discoveries and breakthroughs will be protected by intellectual property laws and royalties will be shared and distributed to participating researchers and their governments.
3.0 Supports effective, low-cost prevention and treatment strategies
3.1 Endorses increasing capacity and distribution of effective generics to further prevent and manage outbreaks
3.2 Confirms the production capacity for generics in various countries including India, China, and Thailand.
3.3Calls for the increased distribution of low-cost generic drugs to countries with currently identified unmet needs
4.0 Global Distribution of Vaccines and Drugs During Pandemics
4.1 Acknowledging the role of nations with high production capacity for drugs and vaccines
4.2 Cognisant of the global need for equal and fair access to drugs and vaccines during pandemics
4.3 Calls on member nations to realise the necessity to protect personnel employed in essential services, high risk groups, marginalized groups to ensure continued vaccine and therapeutic production and maintenance of health care systems globally
4.4. Further calls for distribution of vaccines and drugs in pandemic situations to be based both on need and geographical location of production centres.
4.5 Supports the allocation and implementation of resources and infrastructure to developing countries and refugees, including health care personnel, pharmaceuticals and education programs.