WMA 11.5 access to medicine

THE WORLD MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, INC.
L’ASSOCIATION MEDICALE MONDIALE, INC
ASOCIACION MEDICA MUNDIAL, INC
Centre International de Bureaux
Immeuble A «Keynes» Website : www.wma.net Postal Address :
13, chemin du Levant Telephone : (33) 4 50 40 75 75 Boîte Postale 63
01210 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Fax : (33) 4 50 40 59 37 01210 FERNEY-VOLTAIRE Cedex
France E-mail address : wma@wma.net France
71st
World Health Assembly
11.5 Addressing the global shortage of, and access to, medicines and vaccines
Honourable Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates,
Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of the World Medical Association (WMA), which
represents 9 million physicians around the world, and with the support of the Council for
International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS).
Recognizing the challenges that many still face in accessing safe, effective, quality and affordable
essential medicines and recalling that this year represents the 40th anniversary of the Alma Ata
declaration, the WMA would like to remind this Assembly that access to safe and effective quality
medicines and vaccines can contribute to the mitigation of health inequities and facilitate progress
towards Universal Health Coverage. Furthermore, it is critical to controlling the global burdens of
diseases, especially non-communicable diseases, and is central to the right to health.
The WMA encourages the WHO to assist in filling the gaps in the current R&D system and help in
introducing new systems that address several Global challenges such as antimicrobial resistant
infections and lack of effective treatment for dementia. We urge governments to seize the
opportunities and flexibilities offered by TRIPS to take solid action toward high prices of many
medicines including cancer and Hepatitis C.
In order to ensure equitable access to medicines, we urge Member States to explore innovative win-
win solutions through collaborative approaches with the private sector to address the issue of
pricing, quality and safety of essential medicines and vaccines as well as the supply chain
management. We also ask national governments to develop, implement and monitor their national
medicine policies, including strengthening regulatory systems, and tackle inappropriate pricing and
use of medicines.
WMA offers its support in building capacity of physicians worldwide to ensure the delivery of safe,
affordable, effective and quality medicines and vaccines. CIOMS complements WMA by offering
its expertise and guidelines on research ethics and medicines safety.
Thank you for your kind attention