The ASEAN Secretariat, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Singapore, is convening the ASEAN Meeting on Promoting Access to Antiviral Drugs and Pandemic Influenza Vaccines on 27 to 29 January 2010 in Singapore.

The Meeting is supported by the ASEAN Plus Three Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) Programme which is funded by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). It aims to:

• provide an update on status of supply and availability of pandemic influenza vaccine and antiviral drugs at the global, regional (ASEAN) and national levels;
• share information among ASEAN Member States on the approaches, strategies and issues related to production, distribution, access and transfer of technology of pandemic influenza vaccine and antiviral agents within the region;
• discuss on how to share resources among the Member States, as follow-up to the Joint Statement of the ASEAN Plus Three Health Ministers Special Meeting on Influenza A (H1N1) held on 8 May 2009 in Bangkok, Thailand; and
• provide recommendations on ways to promote increased availability of and access to pandemic influenza vaccines and antiviral agents within the region.

The Meeting is attended by Focal Points of the Senior Officials Meeting on Health Development (SOMHD), ASEAN Expert Group on Communicable Diseases (AEGCD), officers from Food and Drug Regulatory bodies of the ASEAN Member States, manufacturers of influenza vaccines and antiviral agents and local manufacturers or sub-licensees of antiviral agents of selected countries.