Pandemic Accord | 16 Dec 2023

Recently, the seventh round of deliberations on the Pandemic Accord was recently concluded by representatives from 28 countries.

• The accord aims to strengthen global prevention, preparedness, and response to disease outbreaks.
• The delegates failed to reach a consensus on Intellectual Property Rights and Relaxing Patents.
• The United States did not change its stance on the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), reiterating that canceling them would not improve access for poor countries during emergencies.
• Developed and developing countries had divergent opinions, with the former focusing on prevention and the latter demanding equitable access to medical products to be a guarantee in the treaty.
• The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations was also in agreement when it came to retaining patent rights.