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Access to bird flu vaccines

If the developing countries that bore the brunt of bird flu outbreaks felt aggrieved at being suppliers of H5N1 virus samples to the World Health Organisation, and not beneficiaries of any vaccine that may be developed, using their samples, by drug companies based in developed countries, a deal made recently at a Geneva meeting of all the stakeholders has tried to address their concerns. The agreement among countries that faced bird flu outbreaks, vaccine manufacturers, the donor countries, and the WHO is to look at ways of global stockpiling and giving all countries access to the vaccine in the event of a pandemic — in exchange for virus samples from developing countries. The decision is not born out of the magnanimity of developed countries or their pharmaceutical companies. It arises from the commercial compulsion to produce vaccines by studying the continually evolving virus strains in Southeast Asian nations. These countries, particularly Indonesia, remain a fertile ground for H5N1 virus to proliferate. Most human deaths from bird flu, have occurred in Indonesia. The continuous emergence of new strains and deaths from human-to-human transmission are causing grave concern. They raise the possibility of the formation of a mutant capable of producing a pandemic. No country can consider itself completely insulated and safe, as migratory birds can cause outbreaks across continents in a short time.

If there is one country that has to be given full credit for forcing developed countries and their drug companies to reorient their policies, it is Indonesia. It helped turn the spotlight on the inequity of the sharing mechanism. When WHO policies failed to safeguard the interests of the sample-contributing countries, Indonesia stopped sharing samples with the WHO in January 2007. Its decision to resume supply in March came with the condition that its samples must be used only for research and must not be shared with pharmaceutical companies. The opening remarks of Margaret Chan, the WHO's Director General, at the meeting bring out the enormity of Indonesia's contribution: "Faced with a universal threat, each country will look after itself in the immediate pandemic period...Developing countries are right to ask us to address the issue of more equitable access now." The success of Indonesia's bargaining strategy will go a long way in helping developing countries as they grapple with diseases, especially those that are easily transmittable and affect people in developed countries as well.

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