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<p>The UK has welcomed the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator since its launch
on 24 April 2020. We look forward to further engagement with this collaborative initiative
and continue to support the work done under the ACT Accelerator to develop new vaccines,
treatments and tests, and to accelerate global access to these essential health technologies
for everyone. The UK has also long supported affordable and equitable access to essential
medicines through our funding. We have committed over £313 million of UK aid to the
Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), the COVID-19 Therapeutics
Accelerator and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), supporting equitable
access to COVID-19 medical technologies.</p><p>We are seeking additional detail from
the World Health Organisation on how the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP) will
fit into the wider global governance for development of COVID-19 medical technologies
(including the ACT-Accelerator). The UK supports the work of the Medicines Patent
Pool as an existing mechanism to facilitate pooling and IP sharing. We remain committed
to collaborating with public and private partners on additional arrangements to support
equitable and affordable access, including options for non-exclusive voluntary licensing.
We believe that a voluntary approach to intellectual property has advantages over
mandatory approaches, and creates a sounder basis for long-lasting, beneficial relationships,
and incentives to create new much-needed innovations.</p>
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