WHO flu talks end without deal

Posted May 17, 2009 10:32:00

World governments have failed to reach a final deal on the sharing of virus research material and vaccines in case of a global flu pandemic at a weekend meeting of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

"The intergovernmental meeting concluded its deliberation and reached an agreement on most elements of the pandemic influenza preparedness framework for the sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits," a statement said.

"However, further work needs to be undertaken on key remaining elements," it added.

Jane Halton, the top official in Australia's Health and Ageing Department, who chaired the meeting, told delegates they had achieved a significant amount of work.

"Yes, we acknowledge here that there are matters we have not resolved, and yes, they are difficult, but I do think a good body of material has been produced," she said.

Among the unresolved issues following the two-day meeting are the sharing of data between laboratories and intellectual property rights on viruses.

The WHO meeting had been planned for some time but took on new urgency with the outbreak last month of a new version of swine flu, the influenza A (H1N1) virus which has already infected nearly 8,500 people in 38 countries.

Discussions began on the subject in 2007 amid an outbreak of the bird flu.

Indonesia, one of the countries hit in the outbreak, raised the issue of the sharing of vaccines between industrialised and developing countries which do not have the means to produce enough doses in case of a global pandemic.

Poor countries argued they should have access to the resulting vaccines, especially if the samples came from the developing world.

But rich countries led by the United States wanted pharmaceuticals companies to be able to claim the vaccines as intellectual property and earn royalties on them.

The WHO's World Assembly, its governing body, begins its annual meeting on Monday in Geneva and discussions on the subject could continue.

- AFP/Reuters

Topics: influenza, world-politics, health, diseases-and-disorders, avian-influenza, swine-influenza, health-policy, pharmaceuticals, australia, switzerland