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The following statement—from Global Health Council, supported by the Global Health Technologies Coalition and the Infectious Diseases Society of America—was submitted to the 148th session of the WHO Executive Board on Agenda Item 12: Immunization Agenda 2030.The Global Health Council, Global Health Technologies Coalition, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America commend the World Health Organization (WHO) and member states on progress made toward achieving global immunization targets. Despite these efforts, coverage of essential vaccines only increased from 84 percent in 2010 to 86 percent in 2018, leaving nearly 20 million children unvaccinated every year. Polio has not been eradicated, and the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo decades worth of progress. Dozens of countries have reported disruptions to vital immunization programs, including at least 30 measles programs at risk of being cancelled, which could fuel outbreaks this year and beyond. Improved immunization programs can help counter rising rates of antimicrobial resistance by reducing the need to use antimicrobial drugs, extending the efficacy of existing medicines. Vaccines are an essential prevention tool, and member states must invest in research and development for new vaccine technologies coupled with increased capacity-building for the uptake of existing and new vaccines. We do not have all the vaccines we need to prevent diseases that threaten health and well-being globally. We call on WHO and member states to focus on the full spectrum of innovations that support immunization programs, from storage, to new vaccine administration infrastructure, to co-administration with other health interventions, to novel approaches to service delivery. Vaccines are only useful if they reach those who need them, and many different types of innovation are necessary to achieve universal access. Many communities have historically suffered harms at the hands of medical and scientific institutions, breaking the bonds of trust needed for vaccination efforts. Global increase in internet access has also provided a platform for the anti-vaccination movement. Rising skepticism about vaccines as well as misinformation and disinformation through social media could sabotage immunization initiatives if not properly addressed and contained. Global efforts are needed to promote vaccine confidence to ensure vaccine uptake and address all questions relating to vaccine safety and efficacy. We are encouraged to see the director-general’s report noting the important role non-state actors can play in strengthening vaccine strategies. As infectious diseases and global health professionals, we stand ready to work with WHO on developing new vaccine strategies, developing the vaccine pipeline and innovative solutions to ensure global uptake of these critical health interventions to mitigate global health challenges.

The following statement—from Global Health Council, supported by the Global Health Technologies Coalition—was delivered at the 148th session of the WHO Executive Board on Agenda Item 8: Global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property.The Global Health Council and Global Health Technologies Coalition thank the chair and distinguished delegates for this opportunity to comment on the global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property (GSPOA). As outlined in the review panel’s report, although progress has been made in certain aspects of both innovation and access, many of the challenges that motivated formulation of the GSPOA remain, and the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed both long-standing shortcomings as well as new challenges. These include a lack of new health products in areas of need and of sustainable financing for research, the unaffordability of many new medicines and other health technologies, a lack of essential health products or products not appropriately designed for use in low-resource settings, ineffective delivery and supply chain infrastructure, and the absence of robust regulatory frameworks, mainly but not exclusively in low-income countries. To address these challenges, and to ensure faster access for patients to safe and effective products, we call on the World Health Organization (WHO) to continue providing support to strengthen the capacity of national and regional regulatory functions and systems, including for improving late-stage clinical trial regulatory review and oversight. Promoting regional harmonization of regulatory functions could also be instrumental in ensuring regional resources are coalesced toward meeting shared goals in this area, and hopefully speeding up regulatory approval processes.We urge WHO to strengthen the Global Observatory on Health Research and Development as an information-sharing mechanism and would welcome an expansion of the observatory's analysis and synthesis of health research and development (R&D), including defining global strategic directions for specific diseases, pathogens, and conditions, drawing on information from WHO specialized departments.We support the recommendation outlined by the review panel calling on WHO to develop target product profiles for missing antibiotics, diagnostics tools for priority pathogens, and medical devices including personal protective equipment.We call on member states to encourage more R&D on conditions affecting vulnerable populations including children, adolescents, and pregnant and lactating people, and urge WHO to continue its efforts to expand the Essential Diagnostics List.We believe that WHO plays a vital role in setting normative standards, and we urge member states and all stakeholders to continue to work together to ensure everyone has access to new quality assured health technologies.

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a group of infectious diseases that exert a crushing burden in vulnerable communities around the world. These diseases blind, disable, and disfigure people, robbing them of health and opportunity and trapping them in poverty. While breakthroughs in recent years have brought new resources to the fight against NTDs, significant gaps remain in the arsenal of tools needed to control and eliminate these diseases. In recognition of World NTD Day on January 30, GHTC is testing our readers’ knowledge with nine questions about NTD innovation. See if you can beat our quiz below and join the fight to #BeatNTDs and #EndTheNeglect. Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k