First world Conferance on Access to Medical Products and International Laws for Trade and Health
It is a great honour to have such distinguished guest from various parts of the world and Hon’ble Minister for Health Mr Nadda and MoS Ms Patel and representatives from UN, WHO, WTO and WIPO.
This conference is very much focused on the UN theme of Sustainable Development Goal 2030 to achieve the UN mandate of access to medical products as a part of the working agenda for WHO, WTO and WIPO. The producers of medical products are in one side and the people of the sovereign countries on the other side. The Nation States have the obligation to meet the needs of both. Then the role of Research and development to address the need of the new demands are to be looked into. Afro – Asian countries are in high need of solving these issues. The international Law is only to solve and regulate the demands of the time and need . It is very soft law and developed as the time demands. Art 27 to Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS) as discussed in Doha is very flexible and amenable to define the need of the Sovereign countries . The representatives from Producers, Civil Society, Government,Academicians and UN agencies are here to discuss in these three days on the various issues which are placed in different forums as parallel session.
To lay road map for the discussion we can take the recommendation of the of UN Secretary General HIgh Level Panel report
“3.4 Recommendations
(a)It is imperative that governments increase their current levels of investment in health technology innovation to address unmet needs.
(b)Stakeholders, including governments, the biomedical industry, institutional funders of healthcare and civil society, should test and implement new and additional models for financing and rewarding public health research and development (R&D), such as the transaction taxes and other innovative financing mechanisms.
(c) Building on current discussions at the WHO, the United Nations Secretary-General should initiate a process for governments to negotiate global agreements on the coordination, financing and development of health technologies. This includes negotiations for a binding R&D Convention that delinks the costs of research and development from end prices to promote access to good health for all. Such a Convention should focus on public health needs, including but not limited to, innovation for neglected tropical diseases and antimicrobial resistance and must complement existing mechanisms.
(d)As a preparatory step, governments should form a Working Group to begin negotiating a Code of Principles for Biomedical R&D. The Principles would apply to public
R&D funds and should also be adopted by private and philanthropic funders, product development partnerships, universities, the biomedical industry and other stakeholders. “
Thank you
Dr E M Sudarsana Natchiappan MA.,ML(USA),PhD
President Indian Society of International Law,New Delhi
Former Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
Sr Lawyer Supreme Court of India
3F, White House, 10 Bhagwan Das road,
New. Delhi 110001
