With all eyes on the race to develop therapeutics and vaccines to treat and prevent COVID-19, we must simultaneously think ahead to financial, legal, operational and equity issues that need to be tackled to enable access at a global scale. This 2–part webinar series aims to address these concerns by: 1) looking at what lessons can be learned from our past, 2) deconstructing international agreements that play a pivotal role and 3) examining novel strategies to overcome barriers to access.
Webinar 1:
Challenges to equitable access: a look at legal and equity considerations related to ensuring access to essential vaccines and therapeutics in low and middle income countries (LMICs) Wednesday, 2 Dec 2020, 5pm - 6pm Singapore time
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hereIn this webinar on challenges to equitable access, our speakers will look at lessons that can be learned from our past, drawing on historical trajectories of the response and management of diseases and emergencies like the HIV/AIDS epidemic that may yield lessons for COVID-19. We will also examine the role of major international agreements on equitable access to essential medications, vaccines and healthcare products, and explore legal options that facilitate or hinder access.
Speakers:
Ms Leena MenghaneyRegional Head (South Asia) at the Access Campaign
Médecins Sans Frontières
Dr Chris Vindurampulle Senior Associate | Patent and Trade Mark Attorney
K&L Gates (Melbourne office)
Professor Mark FindlayDirector, Centre for AI and Data Governance
Singapore Management University
Ms Amina Mahmood Islam (moderator)
Deputy Director (Programme Development & Business Administration)
SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute
Webinar 2:
Operational challenges and the ground realities of enabling access to essential vaccines in the ASEAN region Wednesday, 9 Dec 2020, 8pm - 9pm Singapore time
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hereThis webinar will explore potential regional and international solutions that could be applied to address challenges related to procuring, manufacturing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. A review of the complex interaction between international stakeholders and national authorities will be provided. Existing and potential solutions will be explored, including procurement and distribution facilitated through the COVAX Facility.
Speakers:
Ms Susan Brown
Director of Public Policy Engagement, GAVI
Mr Luc Debruyne
Former CEO, Global Vaccines, GSK
Strategy Advisor to CEO, CEPI
A/Prof Krishna Udayakumar
Founding Director, Duke Global Health Innovation Center
Associate Professor, Global Health and Medicine, Duke University
A/Prof Ren Ee Chee
Senior Principal Investigator, Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN)
Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology, National University of Singapore
Director, Graduate Affairs Office of the Biomedical Research Council, A*STAR
Dr Nakorn Premsri
Director, National Vaccine Institute (NVI), Thailand
Dr Erlina Burhan
Department of Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine
Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia
Prof Michael Merson (moderator)
Founding Director, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute
Wolfgang Joklik Professor of Global Health, Duke University