Georgetown experts propose three key steps to reshape the global regulatory framework for equitable access to medical products during public health emergencies.
These steps aim to enhance the capacity of national regulatory bodies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
The proposed measures include expanding regulatory coordination, leveraging regional and multilateral development banks, and promoting regulatory flexibility in pandemic agreements.
By implementing these measures, global health leaders can drive more cohesive responses to future public health emergencies.
The goal is to prioritize public health by enabling diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines to reach populations sooner.
In a recent publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, a Georgetown global health law expert and a medical student propose three high-impact steps that global health leaders can take to address the need for equitable access to medical products during public health emergencies. These steps aim to enhance the capacity of national regulatory bodies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, to ensure timely and safe access to essential diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. The current concentration of regulatory capacity in high-income countries has led to bottlenecks and delays in distributing critical medical supplies, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proposed reforms include expanding regulatory coordination and planning with advanced maturity level authorities, leveraging regional and multilateral development banks for procuring medical products, and promoting regulatory flexibility in global pandemic agreements. These measures are expected to drive more cohesive responses to future public health emergencies and prioritize public health by enabling medical products to reach populations sooner. By taking incremental but high-impact steps based on the World Health Organization’s classifications of regulatory systems, global health leaders can mount a more equitable and rapid response to public health crises.
