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The Local Production and Assistance Unit (LPA) Unit, under the Regulation and Prequalification (RPQ) Department, and Access to Medicines and Health Products (MHP) Division of WHO, has finalized the establishment of the Technical Advisory Group on Local Production and Technology Transfer of Health Products (TAG-LPTT). The TAG-LPTT has been established to provide strategic and technical advice to WHO in the field of promoting and strengthening sustainable local production and technology transfer to improve access to quality, safe and effective health products.
Many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have been experiencing inequitable access to priority health products. Strategic local production of health products has assumed huge significance in many countries, especially in LMICs, in the context of improving access and contributing to one of the Sustainable Development Goals of good health and wellbeing. In May 2021, the World Health Assembly adopted a landmark resolution WHA74.6 on “Strengthening local production of medicines and other health technologies to improve access” urging the Director General to support Member States upon their request in promoting sustainable local production of quality assured health products.
Following the adoption of WHA74.6, the first World Local production Forum (WLPF) was held in June 2021 and brought together high level representatives from over 100 Member States to discuss and galvanize collective actions on key aspects of strengthening sustainable local production of quality-assured essential health products and related technology transfer. The establishment of the TAG-LPTT to address current and future global challenges and trends in local production and technology transfer represents the implementation of one WLPF’s recommendations.
The Local Production and Assistance Unit (LPA) serves as the Secretariat of TAG-LPTT. The group will be composed of up to 15 renowned experts with knowledge and expertise in a broad range of disciplines relevant to local production and technology transfer of health products, including policy coherence, financing, business and market environments, investments, human capital, infrastructure, research and development, production efficiencies and capabilities, collaborations/partnerships, market intelligence and so forth.
The establishment process followed WHO policies and procedures for Advisory Groups (who.int) which included publishing an open call for expression of interest; due diligences for potential conflict of interest, conducting selection process and seeking public comments on the potential candidates. Currently, 9 multidisciplinary experts showing a range of technical knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to local production technology transfer of health products, and who have successfully passed through the above establishment process, have been appointed as members of the TAG-LPTT. A second call for experts might be published in due time to seek and ensure further geographical and gender balance within the Technical Advisory Group.
