Although Covid-19 vaccines were developed at an astounding speed, there was a major gap between high-income and low and middle-income countries (LMICs) in the timely access to medical countermeasures during the pandemic. Intellectual property rules, the absence of manufacturing capacity in LMICs, and problems in the supply chain all contributed to this gap. To better prepare for future pandemics, we need to better understand the barriers and what needs to be done to remove them.

Please join our panel discussion on this topic. The panel will, among others, discuss the causes for this gap, the role of philanthropic foundations in advancing equitable access, how contracts can be better drafted to advance equitable access, and how this topic is being addressed in current pandemic treaty discussions at the WHO.

Welcome Remarks

Nilüfer Oral, Director, NUS Centre for International Law

Moderator

Ayelet Berman, Lead, Global Health Law and Governance Programme, NUS Centre for International Law

Panellists

Julia Barnes-Weise, Executive Director of the Global Healthcare Innovation Alliances Accelerator (GHIAA)
Ana Santos Rutschman, Professor of Law at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law
Isaac T. Chikwanha, Senior Director for Access and Delivery at the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund