The Directors General of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) launched the updated Trilateral Study on Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation.

While the first edition in 2013 aimed to explain the interplay between the dimensions of health, trade and intellectual property and how they influence innovation and medical technologies, the second one is a revised and evidence-based edition, to better support policy debate at a critical time for world health.

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry in a video message emphasized the relevance of the interdisciplinary cooperation amongst these three specialized agencies and pointed out: “The COVID-19 pandemic is showing the need for health, trade and innovation policy to come together to provide the answers that we need to confront this huge challenge for humanity”.

In particular, the second edition provides practical lessons from experiences regarding the interplay between health, trade and IP within the perspective established by the human rights dimension of health and the SDGs. Among other new topics, the updated study covers the antimicrobial resistance and cutting-edge health technologies, provides updated data on innovation trends in the pharma sector, trade and tariff regarding medical products, as well as developments in IP legislation and jurisprudence. It also includes an updated overview of access to medical technologies and key provisions in regional trade agreements.

Due to the current global health crisis, the study starts with a COVID-19 section and factual overview of the developments and measures taken in this regard.