WHO introduces HTAP to revolutionize access to health technologies worldwide

The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced the Health Technology Access Pool (HTAP) as the successor to the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP, established in May 2020).

C-TAP, a collaborative effort by WHO, the Government of Costa Rica, and various partners, aimed to facilitate global access to COVID-19 health products on fair and affordable terms.

As a pivotal platform, C-TAP allowed technology partners to voluntarily share intellectual property, knowledge, and data, expediting technological innovation and broadening access to COVID-19 tools.

Despite the challenges in establishing this novel mechanism during a pandemic with limited resources, C-TAP achieved notable success.

It secured six transparent, non-exclusive global licenses encompassing 15 technologies, including research and development tools, diagnostics, and vaccines. Notably, it marked a groundbreaking achievement by securing the first license from a private manufacturer.

HTAP is set to build upon the groundwork laid by C-TAP, incorporating structural and process changes to attract and support a diverse range of priority technologies better.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized the vital role of equitable access to essential health products, stating, “Equitable access to essential health products is an essential part of universal health coverage and global health security.”

HTAP will promote access to health products that address public health priorities, including pandemic preparedness, during and outside health emergencies.

This approach is anticipated to enhance the public health value of HTAP investments and make licensed technologies more appealing to recipient manufacturers by creating greater market opportunities and ensuring financial sustainability.

WHO plans to disclose additional operational details and the specific technologies HTAP targets in the first quarter of 2024.

The official launch of HTAP is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024. Meanwhile, WHO will employ the abovementioned principles and approach to assess opportunities for securing health technologies and expanding regional or global production capacity.