According to a preliminary version of a global pandemic agreement, governments may have to reserve medicines and vaccines for the World Health Organization to distribute in underdeveloped nations to prevent a repetition of the "catastrophic failure" during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the most specific recommendations in the draught was a clause that reserved 20% of any tests, vaccinations, or therapies created for use in underdeveloped nations. The proposal also appeared to be advancing a long-standing debate by urging the waiver of intellectual property rights during pandemics, which supporters claimed would speed up access to life-saving medications and vaccines.

Additionally, the draught retained some clauses that might require pharmaceutical firms to disclose information about any public contracts for vaccinations and treatments during such public health emergencies.

According to Dr. Thomas Cueni, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, "the accord" should be built on the private sector′s strengths for innovative R&D, quick manufacturing scaling up, and distribution, which is built on a robust intellectual property system.