A key lesson that DNDi has learned over the course of the last 20 years is that ensuring equitable access to health tools requires that access provisions be embedded into the innovation process itself, at the conception phase – not just once a product is in late-stage clinical development or has received regulatory approval. Such provisions must be as binding as possible.
We are pleased to have the opportunity to respond to the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Request for Information on the draft NIH Intramural Research Program Policy on Promoting Equity Through Access Planning (89 FR 45003). Our comments and recommendations are based primarily on DNDi’s concrete experience as an R&D organization with firsthand experience negotiating collaborations and implementing policies to ensure equitable access to the treatments we and our partners develop.
