World Health Organization member states announced on Friday an extension of negotiations on pathogen-sharing rules,
raising uncertainty about when the pandemic treaty, adopted in May 2025, can enter into force.
Discussions focus on a system designed to ensure rapid sharing of pandemic-potential pathogens between countries while ensuring equitable access to vaccines, tests, and treatments.
The Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing Annex regulates how countries share data and samples of pathogens posing public health risks and aims to ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatments.
The pandemic agreement cannot enter into force without agreement on PABS. The agreement was created to help the world more effectively respond to future pandemics after COVID-19.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that progress had been made but urged countries to continue working urgently, noting that the next pandemic is "a matter of when, not whether."
The results will be presented to the World Health Assembly later in May.