[Ip-health] IGWG: WHO Director General Opening Remarks

[Judit Rius Sanjuan]

http://www.who.int/dg/speeches/2007/20071105_igwg/en/index.html

Opening remarks at the second session of the Intergovernmental Working
Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property
Dr Margaret Chan
Director-General of the World Health Organization

Mr Oldham, our chairman, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen,

First and foremost, let me extend a warm welcome to you at the start of
this second session of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public
Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property.

The resolution on this matter, adopted by the May Health Assembly,
acknowledged my commitment and encouraged me to guide the process
forward in some specific ways. Let me assure you: my commitment has not
and will not waver.

Public health cannot move forward without innovation. I am fully aware
that for some diseases that disproportionately affect the poor, we will
not see breakthrough progress until we have better tools. Many diseases
of the poor do not have good therapeutic drugs, or the prices are out of
reach. Or diagnostic tools are outdated or too complicated for
point-of-care use close to people=92s homes.

The need for innovation is constant. Resistance develops and drugs fail,
creating an urgent need for second- and third-line medicines. We have
seen this problem most acutely with HIV/AIDS. We are seeing it again
with the spread of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, which is far
more costly and difficult to treat. For some diseases, we know our
greatest hope rests with the development of vaccines.

Equitable access is important

My commitment has a firm foundation. I am fully committed to equitable
access. People should not be denied access to life-saving and
health-promoting interventions for unfair reasons.

I am aware that the price of medicines and other products can be
prohibitive, effectively blocking access to care. I have seen studies
that show the limit, in dollars, to what people are able pay to preserve
even something as vital as their eyesight.

The status of health on the international agenda has been raised
precisely because of the power of better health to reduce poverty. When
this is our objective, we cannot allow the costs of health care to drive
impoverished households even deeper into poverty.

The rise of chronic diseases, which now impose their greatest burden on
low- and middle-income countries, makes the need for effective and
affordable medicines all the more critical. When people need to take
medicines for a lifetime, the costs increase enormously for households,
health services, and government budgets.

I am aware that the price of medicines is one of several factors that
influence equitable access. My commitment to equitable access underpins
the priority I have given to health systems, and in particular to the
capacity of health systems to deliver essential care to those in
greatest need. This commitment is behind my call for a return to the
values, principles, and approaches of primary health care. I should also
say: my commitment to the issues before this Working Group is made with
wide-open eyes. I am aware of the enormous complexity of the issues.
Your negotiations are not easy. But I believe your principal concerns
rest squarely in the domain of public health.

Fairness a concern of public health

You are concerned about appropriate funding and incentive mechanisms for
the creation of new and affordable medicines and other products for
diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries. You are
working to secure an enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-driven,
essential health research and development relevant to diseases that =96
again =96 disproportionately affect developing countries.

In essence, you are concerned about fairness, and fairness has long been
a concern of public health.

The challenge is to work on multiple fronts: to meet the immediate need
for equitable access to quality, affordable medicines, while also, at
the same time, working to stimulate innovation.

Here is one problem. The route to addressing these concerns passes
through many other territories, including those where legal, economic,
and trade issues have prominence. This is the reality.

Here is another problem. Given the significance of issues before this
working group, many see a need to move forward carefully. At the same
time, a need is expressed to harness, effectively and urgently,
opportunities to develop new and affordable health products. Potential
areas for early implementation are being explored. Again, the issues
before you are challenging.

Support from WHO Secretariat

Let me turn, briefly, to areas where support from the WHO Secretariat
was explicitly requested.

As requested, the Secretariat issued a draft global strategy and plan of
action on 31 July. This draft takes on board discussions during the
first session of the Working Group and submissions subsequently received.

Member States asked WHO to expand the pool of invited experts and
concerned public and private entities. Member States also wanted
assurance of balanced representation in terms of geographical region,
gender, and the development status of countries. We have done so. Member
States asked WHO to fast-track NGO accreditation to allow their
participation in this Intergovernmental Working Group. We have done so.

Regional and intercountry consultations, organized with support from the
WHO regional offices, took place in August, September, and October of
this year. Participants reviewed the draft global strategy and plan of
action, and the reports of these consultations were made available on
the WHO web site.

WHO Regional Committees, which also took place in August, September, and
October, discussed the progress of the Working Group. In several
instances, the Committees were able to consider the outcomes of the
regional consultations.

A two-part web-based public hearing was held from 15 August to 30
September. Among other matters, this hearing responded to the specific
request to encourage proposals for research and development, including
incentive mechanisms that address the link between R&D costs and the
price of resulting products.

Ladies and gentlemen,

I hope these activities, aimed at transparency, inclusion, and broad
consensus-building, facilitate your work over the coming days.

I want to thank all of you for your contributions, from industry and
civil society to the Bureau, the participants in various consultations,
and the tireless work of our chairman. I thank Member States, NGOs,
academic institutions, and subregional and regional organizations. I
also want to acknowledge the initiative of the government of the
Netherlands and the OECD in setting up the high-level forum, which
resulted in the Noordwijk Medicines Agenda.

Rest assured that I and my staff are here to support you in any way
possible. Rest assured, too, that we stand ready to take your
recommendations and conclusions forward, within our mandate and
competencies.

With these words as a greeting, background, and an expression of deep
personal commitment and appreciation, I want to wish you a most
productive and successful meeting.

Thank you.

--
Judit Rius Sanjuan
Attorney
judit.rius@keionline.org

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