PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

Equity in pandemic preparedness Bridging divides for a safer world

dlegge — Sat, 08 Jun 2024 22:35:33 +0000

Equity in pandemic preparedness Bridging divides for a safer world

23 May 2024

dlegge Sun, 09/06/2024 - 08:35

Author/s

GPMB

Equity in pandemic preparedness Bridging divides for a safer world

Equity in the context of pandemics encompasses more than fairness and justice, which are fundamental values fostering trust and cooperation. It’s also a necessity for human security, safeguarding not only health but also mitigating the inevitable impact of epidemics and pandemics on our economies and societies. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, policy and decision-makers now acknowledge that “nobody is safe until everyone is safe”, but much more needs to be done to translate this concern into policy practice.

The GPMB calls on countries, in collaboration with other stakeholders such as the private sector, civil society and international organizations, to urgently implement the following key actions to improve equity:

Monitor the multiple facets of equity
Build resilient and equitable primary and community healthcare systems
Establish new global, regional and national frameworks for equity and enhance access to medical countermeasures
Adopt an inclusive approach in preparedness law, regulations, plans
Ensure more and better financing in Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response
Mitigate the social and economic impacts resulting from pandemic prevention and response efforts

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

A practical agenda for incorporating trust into pandemic preparedness and response

dlegge — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 01:29:03 +0000

A practical agenda for incorporating trust into pandemic preparedness and response

30 April 2024

dlegge Wed, 05/06/2024 - 11:29

Author/s

Thomas J Bollyky and Michael Bang Petersen

WHO Bulletin

A practical agenda for incorporating trust into pandemic preparedness and respo…

Despite widespread acknowledgement that trust is important in a pandemic, few concrete proposals exist on how to incorporate trust into preparing for the next health crisis. One reason is that building trust is rightly perceived as slow and challenging. Although trust in public institutions and one another is essential in preparing for a pandemic, countries should plan for the possibility that efforts to instil or restore trust may fail. Incorporating trust into pandemic preparedness means acknowledging that polarization, partisanship and misinformation may persist and engaging with communities as they currently are, not as we would wish them to be. This paper presents a practical policy agenda for incorporating mistrust as a risk factor in pandemic preparedness and response planning. We propose two sets of evidence-based strategies: (i) strategies for ensuring the trust that already exists in a community is sustained during a crisis, such as mitigating pandemic fatigue by health interventions and honest and transparent sense-making communication; and (ii) strategies for promoting cooperation in communities where people mistrust their governments and neighbours, sometimes for legitimate, historical reasons. Where there is mistrust, pandemic preparedness and responses must rely less on coercion and more on tailoring local policies and building partnerships with community institutions and leaders to help people overcome difficulties they encounter in cooperating with public health guidance. The regular monitoring of interpersonal and government trust at national and local levels is a way of enabling this context-specific pandemic preparedness and response planning.

Keywords

Emergencies

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

Global Pandemic Preparedness Report Reveals Lack of Investment in Therapeutics and Vaccines

dlegge — Sat, 27 Jan 2024 00:51:27 +0000

Global Pandemic Preparedness Report Reveals Lack of Investment in Therapeutics and Vaccines

24 January 2024

dlegge Sat, 27/01/2024 - 11:51

HPW

Global Pandemic Preparedness Report Reveals Lack of Investment in Therapeutics …

The IPPS launched its third annual report on the 100 Days Mission (100DM) for pandemic preparedness at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome on Wednesday.

The report assesses how much progress has been made toward ensuring the global availability of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines (DTVs) within the first 100 days of a pandemic threat. It also evaluates progress toward 100 Days Mission target of two antiviral therapies for each high-risk viral family, ready for Phase II/III clinical trials by 2026.

“In 2021, a group of G7 scientific advisors and experts came together to set out the recommendations that would form the basis of the 100DM,” explained 100DM outgoing chair Sir Patrick Vallance in the report’s introduction.

“Since then, the world has changed. We are no longer in the throes of a global pandemic; world leaders are dealing with multiple competing crises, and the global health landscape appears increasingly complex as organisations grapple with optimally prioritising limited funds and contend with multiple needs and threats. But we know that future epidemics and pandemics are not just likely; they are inevitable.”

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

Global Pandemic Preparedness Report Reveals Lack of Investment in Therapeutics and Vaccines

dlegge — Thu, 25 Jan 2024 21:25:23 +0000

Global Pandemic Preparedness Report Reveals Lack of Investment in Therapeutics and Vaccines

25 January 2024

dlegge Fri, 26/01/2024 - 08:25

Health Policy Watch

Global Pandemic Preparedness Report Reveals Lack of Investment in Therapeutics …

There is a global lack of preparedness and reactive responses when confronted with emerging epidemic threats, a concerning lack of investment in the R&D vaccine and therapeutics pipeline, and signs of waning focus on pandemic preparedness, according to a new report by the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS). The IPPS launched its third annual report on the 100 Days Mission (100DM) for pandemic preparedness at the Accademia dei Lincei in Rome on Wednesday. The report assesses how much progress has been made toward ensuring the global availability of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines (DTVs) within the first 100 days of a pandemic threat. It also evaluates progress toward 100 Days Mission target of two antiviral therapies for each high-risk viral family, ready for Phase II/III clinical trials by 2026. … Two other publications were launched alongside the report on Tuesday: The 100DM Therapeutics Roadmap and the 100DM Mission Scorecard. The roadmap was developed with advisors and partners, including the INTREPID Alliance, Unitaid, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi), the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) and the Rapidly Emerging Antiviral Drug Development Initiative (READDI).

Keywords

Emergencies

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

WHO design and consultation process on a new medical countermeasures platform for pandemics

dlegge — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 03:53:32 +0000

WHO design and consultation process on a new medical countermeasures platform for pandemics

03 March 2023

dlegge Sun, 21/01/2024 - 14:53

WHO

WHO design and consultation process on a new medical countermeasures platform f…

he COVID-19 pandemic has reaffirmed the urgent need for a multi-disease, end-to-end medical countermeasures platform for the rapid development of, and equitable access to, pandemic tools. A comprehensive process is needed to devise such a platform to bring coherence to a fragmented landscape of initiatives, and ensure that equity and the needs of underserved populations are at its centre.

In this context, and as indicated by the WHO Director-General following the publication of the ACT-A Evaluation in October 2022, WHO is convening a design and consultation process on a new medical countermeasures platform for pandemics. This process will engage a range of global, regional, and national stakeholders and build on experiences and learnings from the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Framework (PIP) and other relevant inter-agency initiatives.

Following a rapid initial prototyping phase ̶ to be completed by April 2023 ̶ a High-Level Consultative Group will take forward the consultations with a view towards reaching convergence on a new ‘working’ platform that could be launched by September 2023. The Consultative Group will give particular attention to resolving open issues identified during the prototyping phase.

In proposing this process, WHO has consulted with a number of interested stakeholders that are actively exploring aspects of this agenda. WHO welcomes further suggestions on how this consultation process can be enhanced, and looks forward to working with related initiatives and fora to further test and refine design options.

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

WHO: G20 health ministers refuse to endorse establishment of interim MCM Platform

dlegge — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 03:48:45 +0000

WHO: G20 health ministers refuse to endorse establishment of interim MCM Platform

23 August 2023

dlegge Sun, 21/01/2024 - 14:48

TWN

WHO: G20 health ministers refuse to endorse establishment of interim MCM Platfo…

New Delhi, 23 August (K M Gopakumar) – The Group of 20 health ministers have refused to endorse the establishment of an interim platform for medical counter measures (MCM platform).

The World Health Organization (WHO) and a few developed countries have been aggressively pushing in various international fora, including G20 and the UN General Assembly, to obtain endorsement for the establishment of the MCM Platform.

G20 heath minsters met on 18-19 August in Gandhinagar, India. This year’s G20 Presidency is held by India.

However, the WHO Director-General’s Tweet wrongly conveys that there is consensus on the establishment of an interim mechanism. The Tweet states: “I welcome @g20org consensus on an inclusive interim mechanism for equitable and timely access to vaccines, tests, therapeutics and other medical countermeasures in the face of pandemics. We encourage continued dialogue among Member States to broaden support on all aspects of the mechanism”.

However, the reading of the actual outcome document of the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting shows that the consensus is limited to the WHO consultation process for the establishment of an interim mechanism and not for the mechanism per se.

[...]

Many developing country delegates told Third World Network that WHO is extraordinarily keen to establish the MCM Platform as a successor to its Access to COVID-19 Tools -Accelerator (ACT-A), a multi-stakeholder platform aimed to develop diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

According to the WHO discussion paper on the MCM Platform: “WHO is working with Member States, partners and stakeholders to continue to learn the lessons of COVID-19, including those of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A), and build on best practices to strengthen MCM collaboration and coordination between existing institutions, networks and partnerships to be prepared for a new pandemic threat.”

Further, the paper states: “Drawing on the lessons of ACT-A and building from the ACT-A partners, all countries, including low-income and lower-middle-income countries, as well as regional organisations, agencies, the private sector, academia, civil society and financing partners, should have a role in an interim MCM mechanism”. Thus, it is very clear that the MCM platform is envisaged as an extension of ACT-A.

The concept note envisages the MCM platform to be a network of networks “to facilitate rapid and equitable global access to quality, safe and affordable MCMs against pandemic threats”. The scope of the MCM platform is:

Pathogens with pandemic potential, including disease X; and
New and/or scarce vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics while retaining the flexibility to develop and deliver other MCM categories as and when needed.

[...]

WHO’s enthusiasm to establish the MCM platform citing the urgency of the next pandemic has created suspicion among Member States. TWN learned that many developing countries from Africa, Latin America and Asia have raised concerns on the WHO Secretariat’s rush to establish the MCM platform bypassing the on-going negotiations to amend the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 and on a new pandemic instrument.

Many developing countries view that establishment of the MCM platform outside the framework of IHR and the new pandemic instrument as an attempt to bypass a concrete legal obligation to establish regional and national production facilities to ensure equitable access to health produces required for the health emergency response. These countries also point out that the current proposal on the MCM Platform as a multistakeholder mechanism lacks accountability to WHO governing bodies.

Furthermore, developing country delegates also highlight that the concept note provides few details of the functioning of the MCM platform and maintain a strategic silence on the management of intellectual property and technology transfer related to the health products concerned. TWN learned that one of the developing country regional groups expressed concerns on the proposed MCM platform during the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting.

In addition, the outcome document supports the expansion of the scope of the pandemic instrument to include anti-microbial resistance (AMR) as part of the new instrument, which is a proposal from the European Union (EU). Paragraph 11 of the outcome document states that “… we support the ongoing INB negotiations which are also considering provisions on AMR in the WHO CA+, noting the landmark opportunity these events and instruments provide for progressing work on AMR globally”.

This approach requires the massive expansion of surveillance infrastructure in developing countries without any corresponding obligation from developed countries to facilitate equitable access to newly developed health products to countries to address AMR. Further, developed countries have so far not promised financial and technical assistance to developing countries within the new pandemic instrument framework to establish such surveillance infrastructure.+

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

Measures to ensure that the Pandemic Treaty serves the purpose of protecting all people, especially including those in low-income countries with limited financial resources and fragile health care systems

dlegge — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:35:21 +0000

Measures to ensure that the Pandemic Treaty serves the purpose of protecting all people, especially including those in low-income countries with limited financial resources and fragile health care systems

08 November 2022

dlegge Sun, 21/01/2024 - 11:35

Civil Society

Civil society letter; 16 key issues for inclusion in pandemic treaty

We are writing on behalf of some public interest stakeholders invited to participate in the Pandemic Treaty Negotiations and other civil society organizations sharing their concerns and expectations about the “Conceptual Zero Draft of the proposed WHO convention, agreement or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response” (the Pandemic Treaty) which is expected to be published by the INB Bureau in mid-November and form the basis of formal negotiations after the next INB session on December 5-7, 2022.

In our view, the Pandemic Treaty should reflect the following collective understanding and guidance to member states. We believe these elements are on sound legal, public policy, ethical, and scientific footing. However, we are also aware that strong commercial interests may resist some measures. Likewise, governments in some high-income countries may resist significant financial outlays to support populations in lower-income countries as generously as their own populations, even if doing so on a single lower order of magnitude is justified and conducive to the belief that nobody is safe until everyone is safe. The International Court of Justice has repeatedly ruled that it is obliged to interpret international law in a manner that ensures equity and will decide factors applicable to the circumstances,1 though recognizing and operationalizing equity in the Pandemic Treaty seems wise and fair.

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

PandemicTreaty

The Pandemic Accord: A pivotal opportunity to build resilient health systems and realise children’s right to health

dlegge — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:22:38 +0000

The Pandemic Accord: A pivotal opportunity to build resilient health systems and realise children’s right to health dlegge Sun, 21/01/2024 - 11:22

Save the Children, UNICEF

Recommendations for pandemic treaty

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed fragilities in the global health architecture that contributed to countries being ill-equipped to effectively respond to a global health emergency, which in turn led to devastating consequences for children’s access to essential health services.

Increased political awareness and commitment to pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR) efforts offer a pivotal opportunity to make gains in child survival through resilient health systems that are anchored in a primary health care and rights-based approach.

Save the Children and UNICEF UK new policy briefing presents a series of measures for the WHO Pandemic Accord as well as recommendations for the broader health emergency PPR architecture.

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

PandemicTreaty

Pandemic’s Experience Questioning Capitalistic Dominance; Comment on “Ensuring Global Health Equity in a Post-pandemic Economy”

dlegge — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:19:47 +0000

Pandemic’s Experience Questioning Capitalistic Dominance; Comment on “Ensuring Global Health Equity in a Post-pandemic Economy”

04 January 2023

dlegge Sun, 21/01/2024 - 11:19

IJHPM

Alexis Benos comment

Reflecting on the up-to-date global experience of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is of crucial importance in order to draw conclusions needed for the design of policies aiming the prevention of new epidemics and the effective protection, preparedness and response of any new emerging. Ongoing environmental destruction, excess mortality by COVID-19 and non-COVID diseases reflecting the dismantlement and commodification of both public health services and healthcare services, deep economic crisis, increasing and deepening social inequalities are the main characteristics raised by the pandemic. The causes of the causes of all these are the dominant rules of the capitalistic system, driven mainly by the unlimited greed for profit on the expenses of the majority of the society. The effectiveness of any proposed correction of this system is discussed and the need for another society responding to the needs of the population is argued.

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

The Architecture for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, & Response (PPPR): Views from Civil Society Leaders on the UN High Level Meetings

dlegge — Sat, 20 Jan 2024 23:48:16 +0000

The Architecture for Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, & Response (PPPR): Views from Civil Society Leaders on the UN High Level Meetings

13 September 2023

dlegge Sun, 21/01/2024 - 10:48

GHF

CSO reflections on PPPR negotiations

Coalition of Advocates for Global Health and Pandemic Preparedness

For months, we have watched as Member States have tried to negotiate a UN Political Declaration on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) ahead of the UN High Level Meeting in September.

With groups of Member States at odds on equity issues, these negotiations have gone severely off track.

This is the time to deliver a Political Declaration that is ambitious, timely, and in pursuit of a level of equity that has yet to be achieved in global health. As Directors of civil society and community organizations working globally on health, the HIV response, and pandemic preparedness, we see and experience first-hand the risk of failing to deliver, particularly for marginalized, criminalized, and under-resourced communities.

We are founding members of the Coalition of Advocates for Global Health and Pandemic Preparedness and have engaged with the multiple initiatives that have arisen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, including ACT-A, the Pandemic Fund launch, the Pandemic Accord, the UN High Level Meeting on PPPR, and the development of a medical countermeasures platform.

Our aim is to ensure increased and meaningful involvement of civil society and communities in the development and decision-making of these initiatives and to advocate for an integrated and holistic approach to pandemic preparedness that emphasizes equity, diversity, inclusion, global solidarity, and synergies of multiple existing global health programs. With the final draft of the PPPR Political Declaration now circulated to Member States, we have four key asks of Member States in adopting and implementing these commitments.

Keywords

PPPR (Pandemic prevention, preparedness and response)

PandemicTreaty

IHRs (International health regulations)