South-East Asia Regional workshop to accelerate technology transfer for local production and improve access to medical products

Overview

The Southeast Asia Region of WHO (SEARO) organized “SEA Regional workshop to accelerate technology transfer for local production and improve access to medical products, Bangkok, 19–21 September 2023”. The consultation workshop was conceived for sharing knowledge and best practices to enable SE Asia Regional countries to implement two major World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions. 

In May 2022, the Seventy-fifth WHA extended the time frame of Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPA-PHI), WHA 75.14 from 2022 to 2030, that is, co-terminus with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2030). In the previous year in May 2021, in WHA74.6 “Strengthening local production of medicines and other health technologies to improve access” the WHA committed to strengthening local production including cooperation with, support to and development of voluntary patent pools and other voluntary initiatives for promoting access to medical products (medicines, vaccines, diagnostics, devices).

The background to GSPA-PHI, WHA 75.14 is as follows: In 2008, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted the GSPA-PHI with the aim to promote new thinking on innovation and access to medicines and to secure an enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-driven essential health research and development relevant to diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries. The GSPA-PHI has eight elements which are designed to promote innovation, build capacity, improve access and mobilize resources. The principles and elements of the GSPA-PHI guide and frame the work of the World Health Organization (WHO) on access to medicines and other health products.