Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to support the creation of an international pooling mechanism for COVID-19 research set up by the World Health Organization.

The UK has long supported affordable and equitable access to essential medicines, vaccines and other health commodities, here in the UK and globally.

Measures to ensure access to products that may emerge from research include voluntary patent sharing and licensing, whereby patent holders allow others to manufacture, import, and/ or distribute their patented products to accelerate entry of generic medicines to market, pooled procurement and sharing and information exchange.

We are committed to collaborating with public and private partners in the UK and internationally, including exploring voluntary arrangements, such as existing mechanisms, to accelerate development and equitable access in all countries to affordable health technologies for responding to COVID-19. The shape of any agreements are being explored.

DFID is supporting global co-ordinating efforts through our support to the WHO R&D Blueprint. The Blueprint aims to accelerate research and innovation to contain the spread of the pandemic and ensure that those affected receive optimal care. This includes support to the ‘Solidarity’ trials which is testing four existing anti-viral agents or combinations which exist already that could be effective against COVID-19.