Fears of foreign jab grab on UK pandemic drugs

Britain could be made to hand over a fifth of its vaccines and drugs in a future pandemic under a World Health Organisation treaty due to be ratified next month.

The UK was one of the countries that announced plans in March 2021 for an agreement that would bind states in tackling global health emergencies.

The plan was criticised for removing sovereign powers, raising fears that Britain would sign away its control over pandemic policy to unelected health officials in Geneva.

A final draft of the treaty, released earlier this month, has been substantially slimmed down.

But the remaining terms mean Britain would have to give up 20 per cent of ‘pandemic-related health products’ and would be banned from stockpiling supplies.

The updated document says countries must grant ‘at a minimum... in the event of a pandemic, real-time access by WHO to 20 per cent (10 per cent as a donation and 10 per cent at affordable prices to WHO) of the production of safe, efficacious and effective pandemic-related health products’. it adds members should ‘set aside a portion of... therapeutics or vaccines in a timely manner for use in countries facing challenges’.

The wording has raised concerns that vaccines could be taken from where they are most needed and sent to areas not at risk, with other countries able to receive UK-manufactured jabs before the British public.

Dr David Bell, former WHO medical officer, told the Daily telegraph: ‘the problem is that it bears no relationship to need. it seems token.

‘As an example, Covid-19 was barely a problem in sub-Saharan africa other than South africa, as there is less than 1 per cent of the population over 75, half are below 20 and metabolic disease rates are low.

‘i am unclear why this is in a treaty, as it is a general principle that is already followed and best addressed on a case-by- case basis.’ Britain was among the first countries to develop and roll out a Covid vaccine but came under fire for holding on to its supplies until it had a large surplus.

it also offered Britons a second dose before some poorer countries had been given a first.

The UK eventually gave away 100 million doses, including the astraZeneca jab developed at Oxford, but it may be forced to give up even more and at an earlier stage in future.

The 194 member states of the WHO will vote on the treaty next month. But sticking points among countries over vaccines could mean parts of the agreement are pushed back to 2026.

Dr Clare Wenham, associate professor of global health policy at the London School of Economics, said: ‘the current state of negotiations is anyone’s guess.’