Comment on WHO announcement that COVID-19 no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
Commenting on the WHO announcement that COVID-19 is now an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), Thomas Cueni, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Association (IFPMA) said:
“The WHO announcement that COVID-19 no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern is an important milestone and is a moment to reflect and remember those who lost their lives and those who continue to be impacted by COVID.
“The response to the pandemic was one of incredible resilience, partnership and science. This was underpinned by innovation, voluntary collaborations across the world and decades of research and development – with the biopharmaceutical industry as a key partner to success.
“It is critical that we carefully reflect on what worked well and what did not, taking the lessons from this extraordinary, collective effort so that the world is better prepared against future pandemics.
“We need to preserve the strength of the innovation ecosystem, which fostered the development and scaling up of vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics at record speed and record scale. In particular, we must not undermine what worked well against COVID-19 – the innovation ecosystem and the unhindered access to pathogens – and we must work together to tackle the shortcomings we encountered. This includes inequitable rollout of vaccines, tests, and treatments as well as strengthening health system capacity to respond to any future pandemic and to address the problems of non-communicable diseases and lack of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).”
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Read moreAbout IFPMA
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) represents over 90 innovative pharmaceutical companies and associations around the world. Our industry’s almost three million employees discover, develop, and deliver medicines and vaccines that advance global health. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community improve the lives of people everywhere. For more information, visit ifpma.org.
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