Industry Urges UK, EU, To Safeguard Medicines Regulation During Post-Brexit Transition 28/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Associations representing the life sciences industry in the United Kingdom and Europe today issued a call for cooperation on regulation between the UK and European Union on medicines regulation.
TWN – Proposed WHO Criteria On Medicines In Transit Open Door For Seizures 28/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Geneva, 21 Nov (TWN) – A discussion document prepared by the Secretariat of the World Health Organization (WHO) proposes criteria to justify interventions with respect to medicines in transit. This document is prepared for the 6th meeting of the Member State Mechanism (MSM) to be held from 28 November to 1 December at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, writes Third World Network.
International Court Of Justice Judges Getting Pulled Into Investor-State Cases 28/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment According to a study by a watchdog group released this week, numerous judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) have worked or are working on at least 90 investor-state dispute settlement cases, despite a prohibition on them doing work outside their ICJ duties. Fees paid to the judges ranged above USD 1 million among […]
Buenos Aires Ministerial Not The End Of The Road, WTO Director Tells Reporters 28/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The road to the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina, starting in a couple of weeks does not seem to be a walk in the park, as they say. WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo, in a press briefing today [27 November], explained what can be expected from the 11th ministerial conference. He said consensus is escaping many issues, but Buenos Aires is not the end of the road, but rather one more step in the direction of trade liberalisation.
New Standards Projects At IEEE On Ethics Of Autonomous And Intelligent Systems 27/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Coming at perhaps a critical time, global standards-setting organisation IEEE has announced three new standards projects relating to ethics and robots and autonomous systems.
WIPO Development And IP Committee This Week: Agenda Includes Flexibilities, Tech Transfer, SDGs, Studies 27/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Following a session in May hailed as the most positive in years, the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property reconvenes this week. Among items to be discussed are a revised proposal by the African Group to convene a biennial international conference on IP and development, how to deal with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and recommendations of an independent review of the implementation of the 2007 WIPO Development Agenda Recommendations.
Access To Affordable Healthcare: A Global Wake-Up Call Fosters Coalition Of The Like-Minded 27/11/2017 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW DELHI — Few topics in the global health agenda are as contentious as access to affordable medicines and medical care, and expectedly, divergent views permeated the discussions at a high-level conference in New Delhi, India last week. But if there is one thing that the three-day meet made amply clear, it was this: access to affordable healthcare has emerged as a global problem, and an emerging coalition of the like-minded, cutting across the developed and developing countries, is determined to have their voices heard in international policy circles on the issue.
EPO: New Employment Rules Roil Staff; Management Responds On Demand For More Productivity 27/11/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Outgoing European Patent Office President Benoȋt Battistelli has proposed a new “employment framework” that includes fixed-term contracts for patent examiners, reigniting anger among staff members already in a tense relationship with management. There is also concern that Battistelli’s apparent push – which the EPO denies – for more products (defined as prior art searches and proposals for patent grants) is hurting patent quality.
Medicines Excitement In The Netherlands – New Health Minister Announces Firm Action On “Absurd” Medicines Pricing And Gets The European Medicines Agency 27/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The new Minister of Health of the Netherlands, Bruno Bruins, came in guns blazing when he put the pharmaceutical industry on notice and announced on 22 November to “change the rules of the game” to tackle, what he called “absurd” medicines pricing, writes Ellen ‘t Hoen.
‘The WHO Does Not Have A Board’: New WHO Director Pushes To Make Agency More Efficient 24/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Tedros) admonished member states at the close of this week’s special session of the WHO Executive Board charged with examining the agency’s draft work programme for 2019-2023. A trust deficit among member states leads to the multiplication of national statements, impeding efficiency, he said. Meanwhile, a number of countries called for affordable and accessible medicines, and help to manufacture generic medicines locally, while the United States pushed the role of the private sector.