First meeting of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group working group on access to safe, efficacious and quality-assured health products for neglected tropical diseases. Virtual meeting, 15–16 September 2022

Overview

The WHO Department of Control of Neglected Tropical Diseases (WHO/NTD) manages a diverse portfolio of 20 diseases and disease groups, each with its own unique epidemiology and implementation challenges. These programmes aim to achieve set goals for disease control, elimination as a public health problem, elimination of transmission, or eradication, as determined through expert consultations in collaboration with countries. This requires consistent emphasis on the availability, accessibility, acceptability and affordability of medicines and other health products for NTDs.

The STAG Working Group on access to safe, efficacious and quality-assured health products for NTDs (“the Working Group”) was established in 2021 to facilitate alignment of stakeholders on strategies and best practices for improving access to medicines and other health products for NTDs. Following its introductory meeting in January 2022, the Working Group held its first technical meeting virtually on 15–16 September 2022.

Sarah Andersson, Chair of the Working Group, said that the purpose of the meeting was to review and highlight the priority areas of work in improving access to NTD health products and recommend the establishment of subgroups (if needed) or areas of active participation to actively engage in the identified priority issues.