Serial No: 2022/September/76
Issued on: 30 September 2022
EXTENDED DEADLINE: 13 March 2023
This open Call for Experts is being reissued to take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low and middle-income countries, and for gender balance. If you have already submitted an application under this Call for Experts, there is no need to re-apply.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is seeking experts to serve as members of the Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines. This “Call for experts” provides information about the advisory group in question, the expert profiles being sought, the process to express interest, and the process of selection.
Background
A key aspect of universal health coverage is the right of everyone to access safe, quality-assured, effective, and affordable health products, as affirmed by Member States in Sustainable Development Goal 3.8. As medical innovation brings an increasing range of effective medicines and health products, inconsistent availability and poor affordability are rising hurdles for both health systems and the individuals who need them.
WHO has increasingly been requested by Member States for technical input on matters relating to pricing and affordability of health products. These include the WHO Roadmap for Access to Medicines, Vaccines, and Other Health Products and World Health Assembly Resolution 72.8 on Improving the transparency of markets for medicines, vaccines, and other health products. Most recently the Expert Committee on Selection and Use of Essential Medicines recommended the establishment of a working group “to provide advice to WHO on policies and rules to make highly priced essential medicines more affordable and accessible” (p.5).
While WHO already convenes the biennial Fair Pricing Forum with Member States and all relevant stakeholders to discuss the affordability and transparency of prices and costs, there is a recognized need for technical advice to improve equitable and affordable access via evidence-based selection and other pricing policies.
To this effect, the Technical Advisory Group for Pricing Policies for Medicines will support the technical advisory functions of the WHO pricing and affordability programme and scale up the implementation of WHO mandates and guidelines, according to national contexts, to strengthen pricing policies, transparency of markets, and affordable access.
Functions of the Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines
In its capacity as a technical advisory body to WHO, the AG shall have the following functions:
- To provide evidence-based technical advice to guide efforts to increase affordable access to essential and priority medicines;
- To advise WHO on the implementation of medicines pricing policies, emerging evidence, and good practices for improving the affordability of essential medicines;
- To advise WHO on methods for measuring the availability and pricing of medicines, and the impact of interventions to make medicines more affordable;
- To advise WHO on further research, country support, and international collaboration needed to improve the transparency of markets for medicines; and
- To advise WHO on stakeholder engagement to improve the affordability of medicines.
Operations of the Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines
The Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines will be expected to meet at least once per year. However, WHO may convene additional meetings. AG meetings may be held virtually via video or teleconference or in person at WHO Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, or another location, as determined by WHO. The working language of the group will be English.
Who can express interest?
The Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines will be multidisciplinary, with members who have a range of technical knowledge, skills, and experience relevant to pricing and affordability of medicines. Up to 20 [twenty] members shall be selected.
WHO welcomes expressions of interest from healthcare professionals, academics, and patient/civil society representatives with deep expertise in any of the following areas:
- Norms, standards, technical guidelines, and strategic recommendations on value of medicines
- Health economics, financing, pricing, and health technology assessment
- Procurement, reimbursement, and intellectual property of medicines
- Strategies to strengthen medicines pricing policies
- Ethics and fairness of access/affordability of essential medicines
Submitting your expression of interest
To register your interest in the Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines, please submit the following documents by 13 March 2023, 23:59 Geneva time to fairpricing@who.int using the subject line “Expression of interest for the Technical Advisory Group on Pricing Policies for Medicines”:
- A cover letter, indicating your motivation to apply and how you satisfy the selection criteria. (Please note that, if selected, membership will be in a personal capacity. Therefore, do not use the letterhead or other identification of your employer);
- Your curriculum vitae; and
- A signed and completed Declaration of Interest (DOI) form for WHO Experts, available at: https://covid.comesa.int/about/ethics/declarations-of-interest
After submission, your expression of interest will be reviewed by WHO.
Important information about the selection processes and conditions of appointment
Members of WHO advisory groups (AGs) must be free of any real, potential, or apparent conflicts of interest. To this end, applicants are required to complete the WHO Declaration of Interests for WHO Experts, and the selection as a member of an AG is, amongst other things, dependent on WHO determining that there is no conflict of interest or that any identified conflicts could be appropriately managed (in addition to WHO’s evaluation of an applicant’s experience, expertise and motivation and other criteria).
All AG members will serve in their individual expert capacity and shall not represent any governments, any commercial industries or entities, any research, academic or civil society organizations, or any other bodies, entities, institutions, or organizations. They are expected to fully comply with the Code of Conduct for WHO Experts (Declarations of interest). AG members will be expected to sign and return a completed confidentiality undertaking prior to the beginning of the first meeting.
At any point during the selection process, telephone interviews may be scheduled between an applicant and the WHO Secretariat to enable WHO to ask questions relating to the applicant’s experience and expertise and/or to assess whether the applicant meets the criteria for membership in the relevant AG.
The selection of members of the AGs will be made by WHO in its sole discretion, considering the following (non-exclusive) criteria: relevant technical expertise; experience in international and country policy work; communication skills; and ability to work constructively with people from different cultural backgrounds and orientations. The selection of AG members will also take account of the need for diverse perspectives from different regions, especially from low and middle-income countries, and for gender balance.
If selected by WHO, proposed members will be sent an invitation letter and a Memorandum of Agreement. Appointment as a member of an AG will be subject to the proposed member returning to WHO the countersigned copy of these two documents.
WHO reserves the right to accept or reject any expression of interest, to annul the open call process and reject all expressions of interest at any time without incurring any liability to the affected applicant or applicants and without any obligation to inform the affected applicant or applicants of the grounds for WHO's action. WHO may also decide, at any time, not to proceed with the establishment of the AG, disband an existing AG or modify the work of the AG.
WHO shall not in any way be obliged to reveal, or discuss with any applicant, how an expression of interest was assessed, or to provide any other information relating to the evaluation/selection process or to state the reasons for not choosing a member.
WHO may publish the names and short biography of selected individuals on the WHO website.
AG members will not be remunerated for their services in relation to the AG or otherwise. Travel and accommodation expenses of AG members to participate in AG meetings will be covered by WHO in accordance with its applicable policies, rules, and procedures.
The appointment will be limited in time as indicated in the letter of appointment.
If you have any questions about this “Call for experts”, please write to fairpricing@who.int well before the applicable deadline.