Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the US Administration's decision to purchase global supplies of Remdesivir for the treatment of patients with covid-19 on equitable access to covid-19 treatments for countries in the Global South.

Supply of Remdesivir will be made possible for 127 low and middle-income countries through Gilead’s non-exclusive voluntary licencing agreements with generic pharmaceutical manufacturers in Egypt, India and Pakistan, ensuring equitable access to treatment. The UK supports voluntary approaches to sharing intellectual property such as non-exclusive voluntary licencing agreements, which promote access whilst retaining the incentives needed for further innovation.