Donating Human Samples: Who Benefits? Cases from Iceland, Kenya and Indonesia - Benefit Sharing - page 118

Table 5.6 (continued)

Date Details

Jan 2007 WHO issues 'Best practice for sharing influenza viruses and sequence data'

Feb 2007 High-level WHO delegates attempt to resolve virus and benefit-sharing issues,

but Indonesia does not resume sharing viruses with WHO

Mar 2007 Indonesia agrees to resume sharing viruses (MacKenzie 2007 )

May 2007 WHA resolution 60.28 stipulates a series of actions to promote 'transpar-

ent, fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the generation
of information, diagnostics, medicines, vaccines and other technologies',
while maintaining the 'timely sharing of viruses and specimens'(WHO
2007d ). An interdisciplinary working group is convened to review and
reform the global virus sharing system

Jul-Aug 2007 Working group fails to reach consensus

Nov 2007 The Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Sharing

of Influenza Viruses and Access to Vaccines and Other Benefits fails to
reach a solution, but provisionally agrees on an interim statement admitting
a 'breakdown of trust' in the existing system and the need to take urgent
action toward agreement on a detailed framework

Feb 2008 Indonesia resumes sending occasional samples to WHO (Revill 2008 )

May 2009 WHA resolution 62.10 urges the facilitation of 'a transparent process to final-

ize the remaining elements [of the virus and benefit sharing framework],
including the Standard Material Transfer Agreement (SMTA)' (WHO 2009 )

May 2010 WHA resolution 63.1 urges continued 'work with Member States and relevant

regional economic integration organizations, on the Pandemic Influenza
Preparedness Framework for the Sharing of Influenza Viruses and Access to
Vaccines and Other Benefits', and the undertaking of 'technical consulta-
tions and studies as necessary' to support this work (WHO 2010 )

Apr 2011 The WHO Open-Ended Working Group on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

for the Sharing of Influenza Viruses and Access to Vaccines and Other
Benefits reaches agreement on terms and conditions that will govern the
sharing of influenza viruses and other benefits

May 2011 At the WHA meeting, the WHO ratifies Pandemic Influenza Preparedness

Framework for the Sharing of Influenza Virus and Access to Vaccines and
Other Benefits

Table 5.7 Good Practice, Criticisms and Challenges of Avian Flu Case
Good practice Criticisms Challenges

Indonesia was the first country to draw
significant international attention to
potential exploitation of biological
sample donors, leading to a WHO
working group, which contributed to
the PIP Framework

Withholding samples, thereby
potentially endangering global
public health

Absence of binding
international
legal regime
to address
withholding of
samples

Ongoing export of samples
due to lack of local research
capacity