The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the Health Technology Access Pool (HTAP), replacing the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP).
C-TAP was launched in May 2020 by the WHO, the Government of Costa Rica and other partners with the aim of ensuring people in all countries have fair and affordable access to COVID-19 health products. It has started. The platform provides a much-needed forum for technology partners to voluntarily share intellectual property, knowledge and data to accelerate innovation and expand access to COVID-19 tools. did.
Despite the challenges faced in establishing new mechanisms during a pandemic with limited resources, C-TAP has developed six transparent We have secured an exclusive global license. This includes the first licenses from private manufacturers. HTAP builds on the foundation laid by C-TAP, but incorporates structural, process, and other changes that will allow it to more effectively attract and support a diverse range of preferred technologies.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Equitable access to essential health products is a key part of universal health coverage and global health security.” “Building on learnings from C-TAP, the Health Technology Access Pool is an important step toward more equitable access to a wide range of health products through the sharing of intellectual property, knowledge and scientific innovation.”
HTAP addresses public health priorities, including pandemic preparedness, and facilitates access to relevant health products during and outside of health emergencies. This approach not only enhances the public health value of HTAP investments by enabling greater market opportunities and financial sustainability, but also amplifies the attractiveness of the licensed technology to recipient manufacturers. The announcement regarding the licensing of rapid diagnostic testing platform technology serves as an example of such an approach.
Later in the first quarter of 2024, WHO is expected to announce details on how HTAP will operate and the technologies it will cover.
The official launch of HTAP is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. In the meantime, WHO will adopt the principles and approaches outlined above when assessing opportunities to secure medical technology and expand regional or global manufacturing capacity.
