<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><p style="margin:0px;text-align:center;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Dear Friends, </font></p><p style="text-align:left;margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">The TRIPS Council of the World Trade Organisation is meeting in mid-October. In the run-up, People's Health Movement and the Third World Network are organising a panel discussion on therapeutics and diagnostics. </font></p><p style="text-align:left;margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="text-align:left;margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">We invite you to join the discussion. </font></p><p style="text-align:left;margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:center;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:center;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:center;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Access Barriers to Covid-19 Therapeutics &<br>Diagnostics: A Case for TRIPS Waiver</font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:center;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:center;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Panel Discussion</font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Therapeutics are crucial for an effective pandemic response, especially since current vaccines do not offer effective protection against the Covid-19 infection. WHO has approved two IL-6 blockers (tocilizumab and sarilumab) and neutralising monoclonal antibody (casirivimab and imdevimab) as Covid-19 treatment. There are major concerns about the timely availability and affordability of these treatments in many parts of the world, especially in developing countries. Several other anti-viral therapeutics and inhibitors of Janus kinases (JAK) are at advanced stage of development. But there is no guarantee that these will be available at an affordable cost. Diagnostics also constitute a critical pillar in the fight against Covid-19. However, affordable and accurate diagnostic kits still remain elusive. </font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">People’s Health Movement and the Third World Network are organising this webinar to highlight the role of therapeutics and diagnostics in containing Covid-19, barriers in accessing them, and the potential of TRIPS Waiver to achieving equitable access.  </font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><b><font face="arial, sans-serif">Speakers:</font></b></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Michelle Childs<br>Director-Policy Advocacy, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative – DNDi</font></p><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br>Christa Cepuch<br>Pharmacist Coordinator, MSF Access Campaign</font></p><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br>Reshma Ramachandran<br>Physician-Fellow, Yale National Clinician Scholars Program</font></p><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br><b>Chair:</b></font></p><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif">Jyotsna Singh<br>People's Health Movement  (PHM)</font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;min-height:15px"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><br></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><b>Date: 6</b><span style="font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><b>^th</b></span><b> October</b></font></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-family:"Times New Roman""><b><br></b></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><b><font face="arial, sans-serif">Time: 2pm CEST (9 AM Rio/ 2 PM Cape Town/ 5.30 PM New Delhi/ 8 PM Kuala Lumpur)</font></b></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal"><br></p><p style="margin:0px;text-align:justify;font-stretch:normal;line-height:normal;color:rgb(11,76,180)"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><b>Registration: </b><a href="https://bit.ly/2Y5rw6W" target="_blank"><span style="color:rgb(11,76,180)"><b>https://bit.ly/2Y5rw6W</b></span></a><b> </b></font></span></p><div class="gmail-yj6qo"></div><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">Best,</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#000000">Jyotsna</div></div>