The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), supported by FIFARMA and PhRMA is pleased to contribute this statement to the 72nd Session of the Regional Committee of WHO for the Americas.
COVID-19 has had profound health, social and economic impacts in the Americas and worldwide, having also led to delayed diagnosis and treatment of many other serious diseases, which will affect people’s health in years to come. Coordinated, inclusive, and multi-stakeholder action is the only possible solution to mitigate the devastating consequences of this unprecedented global health emergency.
IFPMA is a proud founding partner of the ACT-Accelerator and fully committed to its goals to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to safe, quality and effective COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Our biopharmaceutical companies are showing a strong sense of responsibility to act together, in partnership with international organizations, governments, and other stakeholders to support health systems across the world and ensure there is no interruption in the supply of innovative medicines for patients. In the endeavour of finding effective and safe treatments and vaccines at record speed, the private R&D business model, enabled by sound intellectual property incentives, has significantly contributed to the discovery and development of treatments that are currently being tested.
Addressing COVID-19 is a collective responsibility that calls for global solidarity and coordinated and collaborative action by public and private actors alike. We remain committed to the principle of equitable and affordable access to eventual COVID-19-related health products and call upon governments to do their part and ensure adequate resources are dedicated to building strong, resilient, and sustainable healthcare systems. Health must be valued as an investment to ensure growth and prosperity. With COVID-19 having illustrated major weaknesses in pandemic preparedness across the board, we welcome the WHO’s decision to conduct an independent evaluation of the global COVID-19 response to identify lessons learned.
