On Tuesday, 26 May 2015, the following statement was delivered in Committee B of the 68th World Health Assembly on behalf of Stichting Health Action International and Knowledge Ecology International on the topic: Follow-up to the 2014 high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly to undertake a comprehensive review and assessment of the progress achieved in the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases.
Thank you Mr. Chair,
I am reading this statement on behalf of Stichting Health Action International and Knowledge Ecology International.
In May 2015, WHO announced the inclusion of 16 cancer drugs on the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (EML) including such costly treatments as trastuzumab and imatinib. WHO’s policy shift signals a change in thinking about access to essential medicines — WHO has re-defined essentiality based on clinical need. Now, essentiality is not limited by cost or cost-effectiveness considerations.
In light of voluntary target 9 of WHO’s Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013-2020 (WHA66.10) which calls for
An 80% availability of the affordable basic technologies and essential medicines, including generics, required to treat major noncommunicable diseases in both public and private facilities,
the challenge remains with decision-makers in WHO, governments and the international community in finding ways to make these newly-listed essential medicines affordable without breaking the bank. The WHO EML is often used as a benchmark for priority-setting and procurement decisions. As countries wrestle with affordability issues, they should be encouraged to seek WHO technical assistance in using lawful pathways to ensure that these treatments are widely available by regulating or eliminating monopolies-including through the granting of compulsory licences.
Furthermore, in relation to document A68/11, Appendix 1, we propose the creation of a WHO-convened roundtable focusing on two possible government led approaches to enable more efficient control of NCD cost. The first question addressed would be on how to achieve better transparency of the true cost of R&D of cancer drugs (for example – on small molecule and biosimilars, clinical trials and the disclosure of public funds). The second question would focus on how we should implement effective mechanisms delinking the cost of R&D from the price of cancer treatments, and providing life saving medicines to cancer patients in all countries. Without delinkage, we will never achieve universal health coverage and resilient health systems will remain but a distant hope.