Pandemic Agreement Must Include Levers to Redirect Pharmaceutical Industry Behaviour During Pandemics; Comment on “More Pain, More Gain! The Delivery of COVID-19 Vaccines and the Pharmaceutical Industry’s Role in Widening the Access Gap”

Deborah Gleeson, James Scheibner, Brigitte Frances Tenni, Belinda Townsend, Dianne Nicol

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debate

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Abstract

Borges and colleagues rightly argue that an international treaty is needed to curtail the profit-driven behaviour of the pharmaceutical industry during pandemics. The Pandemic Agreement currently being negotiated by Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) offers an important opportunity to equip nation states with greater leverage over industry behaviour. In this commentary, we examine the potential of current draft textual proposals for the Pandemic Agreement to redirect pharmaceutical behaviour in future pandemics. However, the future of the Agreement negotiations remains uncertain in the wake of the failure to conclude negotiations in time for the 2024 World Health Assembly (WHA). Further, there is limited consensus over proposals that could enable nation states to have greater leverage over industry behaviour. A concerted effort will need to be made to achieve a consensus text that shifts the status quo by giving nation states more power to curtail the self-interest of the pharmaceutical industry.

Original languageEnglish
Article number8589
Pages (from-to)1-4
Number of pages4
JournalInternational Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume13
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2024

Keywords

  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Pharmaceutical Industry
  • Pandemic Agreement
  • TRIPS Waiver
  • intellectual property
  • Pandemic-Related Products
  • Intellectual Property

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