Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 7 December 2022
153. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health his position on the Berlin declaration setting out the biopharmaceutical industry vision for equitable access in pandemics; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61260/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Berlin Declaration is a statement issued by the innovative biopharmaceutical industry calling on the G7, the G20 and all stakeholders in the global health community to play their part, to ensure that people in all countries have more equitable access to future pandemic vaccines, treatments and diagnostics no matter where they live.
In principle, the commitment by industry to work with governments and all stakeholders to help ensure that preparedness and response systems are put in place and maintained into the future is welcome; the mechanisms to underpin this however will warrant careful, considered analysis and review as the principle is operationalised.
The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe is premised essentially on ensuring access to safe, affordable, effective medicines for all European patients. The importance of assuring a regulatory environment that fosters and supports innovation and sustainability, underpinned by an ethos of trust, predictability and collaboration is recognised from a European, as well as a global perspective. Timely patient access to safe effective medicines supports the common good.
The EU is a leading proponent of the Pandemic Agreement and Ireland, along with a majority of EU Member States, is part of the Group of Friends of the Treaty. The Group of Friends strongly supports an agreement that would foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics. The Pandemic Agreement needs to include human rights and disability and gender-responsive equity as a core and underlying principle which informs the whole agreement. This also includes marginalised people in low income settings, people living in crisis contexts, refugees and internally displaced people and, by putting the furthest behind first, ensure equitable access to medical and non-medical measures for all.
In a pandemic no one is safe until everyone is safe’ and the recognition of this tenet is important as we reflect and learn from the lesson of the Covid pandemic.
