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The U.S. wants countries to share pathogen samples and genomic sequencing data within five days of an outbreak, according to the document from the U.S. State Department, but it does not guarantee that any drugs or vaccines developed as a result of that exchange would go to the countries affected. That imbalance could lead to a repeat of the inequalities experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and other outbreaks, where poorer nations struggle to access the tools developed to fight disease despite often first identifying the threat, some experts said. These bilateral agreements ... will bypass the WHO and the foundations of solidarity and equity we have been trying to build here," said Michel Kazatchkine, former head of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria, at a WHO meeting in Geneva on Friday to discuss the pathogen-sharing piece of the pandemic treaty. He said the pathogen access and benefits-sharing agreement member states are negotiating at WHO would both enable sharing materials "and, on an equal footing, the rapid, timely, fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the sharing or utilization of such materials"."