Leaked Letter Shows Pressure On Colombia Not To Issue Compulsory Licence For Glivec 06/02/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A newly leaked 2016 letter from the CEO of Novartis to the president of Colombia, made available by Swiss group Public Eye, shows the level of concern the Swiss pharmaceutical company had over the effect of possible issuance of a compulsory licence for Novartis drug Glivec in the pivotal South American economy.
Medicines Innovation And Access: Swiss Stimulate New Thinking 06/02/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BERN, Switzerland — What if reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on access to health for all depended on the willingness of all actors to see beyond outdated dichotomies? The concept may seem obvious, but is easier described than done. In an effort to break silos, the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI) brought together stakeholders of all sides last week to discuss how to harness political and economic will to achieve innovation leading to new medicines that are available and affordable for all in need.
Andrei Iancu Named US Patent And Trademark Office Director 06/02/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By a vote of 94-0, the United States Senate on 5 February confirmed California intellectual property litigator Andrei Iancu as next director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The new Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property is currently managing partner of Irell & Manella LLP’s Los Angeles firm. The patent and trademark communities wished Iancu luck but said there are many issues at the agency that need his attention.
Gavi-Harvard Study Shows Vaccines Will Save Tens Of Millions From Poverty 05/02/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Vaccination will help prevent some 24 million people from falling into poverty by 2030 in addition to saving millions of lives, shows a new study co-authored by Harvard University and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
WHO Executive Board Adopts Draft Resolution On TB, Stresses Importance Of Resistant TB In Overall Fight Against AMR 05/02/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Mirza Alas of the intergovernmental South Centre has published an analysis of the World Health Organization Executive Board approval of a draft resolution on actions toward ending tuberculosis and how it relates to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The opening paragraphs and a link to the original are provided below.
Analysis Of The Working Group On Enhanced Cooperation On Public Policy Issues Pertaining To The Internet 05/02/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Richard Hill writes: The Tunis Agenda calls for enhanced cooperation to address issues related to the Internet and its governance. However, there was no clear agreement on how to implement enhanced cooperation, so a Working Group on Enhanced Cooperation (WGEC) was convened to discuss that matter and to prepare recommendations. A first WGEC group failed to find agreement, so a second group was formed. In 2018, fifteen years later, the digital divide is worse, spam is worse, and security and privacy have become key issues; the fact that ICANN operates under the jurisdiction of the USA is also at times raised. Some are of the view that the evidence shows that current mechanisms are not working.
Biosimilar Industry Launches Information Campaign For Better Acceptance 05/02/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The International Generic and Biosimilar medicines Association has launched an information campaign on biosimilar medicines in order to raise worldwide understanding and acceptance of biosimilar medicines.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Division Provides Capacity Building, Publications 01/02/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge through the intellectual property system has been discussed for many years at the World Intellectual Property Organization. While delegates are working on potential international instruments to provide such protection, the WIPO Traditional Knowledge Division is involved in technical assistance and capacity building, providing information and issuing publications.