Resolution on diabetes at the World Health Assembly: a victory for the international community

Monday, May 31, 2021 - Press release - Santé Diabète

 

The Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) gathered for 10 days at the 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted a historic resolution on the fight against diabetes and in particular for the access to insulin[1]. Santé Diabète welcomes this important step taken on this essential subject. Our organization has been calling for such a resolution for several months, notably last March in The Lancet[2] and in a column published[3] in Le Figaro on May 17.

The adopted resolution was tabled by the Russian Federation, and co-sponsored by 17 countries: Belarus, Botswana, China, Ecuador, Swaziland, Ethiopia, France, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Mozambique, Norway, South Africa, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Vanuatu. It includes various essential elements, such as a reminder of the importance of transparency on prices and markets, and competition through biosimilars.

This resolution, proposed on the occasion of the centenary of the discovery of insulin, represents an important step forward in the global fight against diabetes, and for the access to insulin, to which 50% of people who need it still do not have access. We wished the resolution had included clearer "targets" and more concrete operational means to reach them. We will continue ou work to ensure that the elements of the resolution are implemented.

 

[1] OMS, « Reducing the burden of noncommunicable diseases through strengthening prevention and control of diabetes » (« Réduire le fardeau des maladies non transmissibles en renforçant la prévention et contrôle du diabète ») https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA74/A74_ACONF5-en.pdf

[2] The Lancet : « Failing to address access to insulin in its centenary year would be a catastrophic moral failure » (« Ne pas aborder l’accès à l’insuline en son centenaire serait un échec moral catastrophique »)
https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2213-8587(21)00048-6&fbclid=IwAR1IhiUtr5AcqSmNI-OunMXAZRzNiiR2U4BNWMSMuObjcMqG_ZdddZeeWGA

[3] Le Figaro, « Accès à l’insuline: à l’OMS, la France doit soutenir une résolution ambitieuse »
https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/acces-a-l-insuline-a-l-oms-la-france-doit-soutenir-une-resolution-ambitieuse-20210514