Ellen ‘t Hoen has been appointed Officer of the Order of Oranje-Nassau, a royal award which recognises those who merit particular appreciation from society for the contributions they have made. The award was granted under the heading of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, and in particular for her dedication to achieving equitable access to affordable medicines worldwide.
“Because of her large and long-term contribution Ms ‘t Hoen has made to a better and more fair regulation of access to and affordability of medicines worldwide and her systematic commitment to vulnerable people in society” she was chosen for this award, said the official report.
“It is very special to receive the award right now in times of the Covid-19 pandemic that has laid bare so many issues related to the equitable distribution of important health technologies,” said ‘t Hoen upon receiving the news.
UNITAID, with whom ‘t Hoen has worked closely for many years – including on the creation of the Medicines Patent Pool – also released a statement congratulating her on this achievement.
Kaitlin Mara, MSc, has been writing about international intellectual property and innovation policy for a over 15 years.