Conclusion of the 13th resumed meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) for a WHO instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response

On the conclusion of the 13^th resumed meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB), IFPMA Director General, Dr. David Reddy, said:

"We have engaged constructively in the INB process over the past three years, providing the experience and expertise of the pharmaceutical industry to help inform negotiators as they worked tirelessly towards this outcome.

"Our industry made proactive commitments to deliver equitable access, pledging to reserve an allocation of real-time production of vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for priority populations in lower income countries and take measures to make them available and affordable.

"Intellectual property protection and legal certainty are essential for the innovative-based pharmaceutical industry to invest in high-risk R&D and enable voluntary partnerships that we will need in the next pandemic. We hope that in subsequent negotiations Member States maintain the conditions for the private sector to continue innovating against pathogens of pandemic potential.

"The pandemic agreement is a starting point. Pharmaceutical companies will remain critical to future pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response, driving the innovation necessary to develop and deliver the medicines and vaccines we will need when the next pandemic hits. It is essential that our experience is drawn upon again as the agreement is turned into something that can be implemented in practice."