Access to medicines WHO considers equitable access to safe and
affordable medicines as vital to the attainment of the highest
possible standard of health by all. WHO Member States reaffirmed
their commitment to these principles in May 2008, with the
adoption of a resolution on the "Global strategy and plan of
action on public health, innovation and intellectual property"
(WHA61.21). Among other important objectives, the resolution
expressed Member States' commitment to improving the delivery of
and access to all health products and medical devices by
effectively overcoming barriers to access. In this context, the
recent events related to the handling of medicines in transit
and the potential consequences for the supply of medicines in
developing countries are of major concern to the organization.
This issue has been raised in the meeting of the WHO Executive
Board in January 2009 and was a subject of discussion in the
recent WTO TRIPS Council. In relation to this issue, WHO is
continuing to follow development