On 22 October 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched an update of the extract “Integrated health, trade and IP approach to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.” This extract, from the 2nd edition of the Trilateral Study Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation, maps the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the integrated health, trade and intellectual property policy framework set out in the Trilateral Study.
The update contains developments up until 30 August 2021, including on the impact of COVID-19 on health systems and responses at the global level, policy challenges, meeting the demand for health technologies and medical services, international trade, intellectual property aspects, international initiatives to support research and development and equitable access, regulatory responses, transparency and mapping the way forward.
The Trilateral Study is a result of the more than 10 years of trilateral cooperation between the Secretariats of WHO, WIPO and WTO. It seeks to strengthen the understanding of the ever-evolving interplay between the distinct policy domains of health, trade and intellectual property and their effect on innovation and access to health technologies, such as medicines, vaccines, diagnostics and medical devices.