HERA should prioritise the public interest, remain accountable to citizens and ensure equitable and affordable access to medical tools
Brussels, 3 November 2021
Several Alliance members have sent a letter to health attachés and to the Health Commissioner urging them to reconsider crucial aspects of the recently launched Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and its proposed Regulatory framework.
The letter welcomes the creation of the EU HERA but proposes some recommendations to ensure that HERA will work for the public interest, focus R&D on public health needs/priorities, remain accountable to EU citizens, and ensure the EU as a global leader leveraging equitable and affordable access to medical tools.
Signatories urge the European Council and the European Commission to address these issues by:
- Ensuring that a democratic and participatory debate takes place during the creation of HERA
- Incorporating clear governance rules, including for transparency and accountability safeguards in HERA
- Involving stakeholders, including patients, civil society, healthcare professionals, and researchers
- Protecting other public health priorities
- Ensuring accessibility and affordability of the outputs that HERA will support
- Outlining a clear global vision for HERA
- Supporting not-for profit EU infrastructure
Read the full letter here.
Signatories
- Global Health Advocates
- European Public Health Alliance
- Treatment Action Group
- Asociación por un Acceso Justo al Medicamento
- Health Action International (HAI)
- Access to Medicines Ireland
- SOMO-Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations
- Prescrire
- Wemos Foundation
- Consilium Scientific
- Salud por Derecho
- Consumer Association the Quality of Life-EKPIZO
- Plataforma NoGracias
- Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM Europe)
- AIDES
- Médecins du Monde International Network (MdM International)
- Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation
- France Assos Sante
- Ligue contre le cancer