In the first part of an exclusive two-part interview, James Burt – Accord’s executive vice-president for Europe, the Middle East and North Africa – talks to Generics Bulletin about the key actions taken by the generics industry to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic, and the changed landscape that the off-patent arena can expect to see in future.

Australia’s off-patent industry association, the GBMA, and local brand organization Medicines Australia have set out their plans for collaborating on supplying essential medicines amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move follows a recent temporary authorization by local competition regulator the ACCC that will allow the bodies to work more closely together.

Governments around the world should designate all medicines as ‘priority essential products’, the IGBA has urged, as a surge in demand coinciding with a reduction in the number of flights and rising freight costs are making it more difficult for suppliers to meet global requirements amid the coronavirus pandemic.