Equitable Use of Intervention Strategies

1
Equitable Use of Intervention Strategies

• Keiji Fukuda
• ESWI 3rd European Influenza Conference
• Vilamoura, Portugal
• 16 Sept 2008

2
Before H5N1

• Limited number of countries highly concerned
  about influenza
• Primarily developed countries
• Used most seasonal flu vaccines
• Made most seasonal flu vaccines
• Greatest manufacturing capacity located in Europe
• Often using viruses provided by developing
  countries through WHO's Global Influenza
  Surveillance Network

3
After H5N1

• Influenza of urgent political concern as well as
  scientific interest
• Developing developed countries united by
  concern over related (but distinct different)
  threats of avian pandemic influenza
• Among developing countries, new high level
  concern over capacity to protect populations
  against pandemic (and avian) influenza

4
Intergovernmental Process Underway

• In 2007, World Health Assembly initiated
  intergovernmental (IGM) process to address
  related concerns
• Under what conditions will countries share
  viruses with WHO and other entities?
• How can benefits resulting from global influenza
  surveillance become more available, accessible
  affordable on a sustained basis for (developing)
  countries?

5
Certain Issues Have Emerged as Paramount

• Transparency
• Sovereignty
• Benefits
• Global risk assessment response

6
Transparency

• When a country sends clinical material or viruses
  to a WHO Collaborating Centre, what happens?

7
Sovereignty

• Who "owns" or has "control" over original and
  derived biological materials of concern?
• Clinical specimens
• Viruses
• What is the balance between national
  international concerns considerations?
• What is the optimal approach for handling
  intellectual property claims such as patenting?

8
Benefits

• What constitutes benefits?
• Information?
• Products?
• Manufacturing capacity?
• What is a "fair" distribution of such benefits?
• How can their availability be increased
  sustained?
• Role of countries?
• Role of industry?
• Role of institutions?

9
Maintaining Strengthening Global Risk
Assessment Response

• The world has experienced faces global disease
  events such as pandemics with enormous potential
  to cause harm
• The world also has enormous potential to reduce
  that harm
• The weakening of the global ability to detect,
  prevent respond to such threats is unacceptable
• All countries sectors have a role
  responsibility to strengthen this capacity

10
The Challenge

• Developing a framework that reflects and
  balances all of the important technical, social,
  ethical and political concerns and implementing
  this in time to better protect people from the
  disease threats sure to come