Letter to President Biden Discusses Collaboration To Boost Access to COVID-19 Treatments
BIO's Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath pens new letter to the White House
Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), sent a letter to President Biden outlining ways the public and private sectors can best work with global partners to ensure that patients around the world get access to COVID vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
The letter, written on behalf of BIO members, highlights the importance of the COVAX and “ACT-Accelerator” initiatives to increase global vaccine access. It also makes clear industry concerns about the proposed “TRIPS waiver” in helping end this pandemic:
Dr. McMurry-Heath writes the TRIPs waiver would “distract from the need for coordinated international efforts and the cooperative work that currently is being advanced, and thus ultimately undermine the very goals of quick, safe access that it seeks to promote.”
She further notes:
“The global pandemic can only be ended with global efforts that reach everywhere this deadly virus is prevalent […] BIO strongly supports strong, efficient, and effective efforts to see that successful COVID products get to patients everywhere in the world that need them.
“BIO looks forward to continuing its work with the Administration and other parties in developing policies that address global access considerations to COVID treatments and vaccines while also continuing to support innovative biotech research and development endeavors aimed at bringing this pandemic to an end as soon as possible.”
Read the full letter here or below.