G-Finder Report: Global Funding For R&D In Neglected Diseases Increasing, Overreliance On US Funding Dangerous 13/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A report released today on global funding of research and development for neglected diseases found that global funding has increased but warns that overreliance on funding from the United States, which the report says is “unparalleled,” and leads to a heavy concentration of global funding on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. This overreliance could also lead to change in total global funding, the report found.
WHO, World Bank Say Half The World Population Cannot Access Essential Health Services 13/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment According to a report released today by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, at least half the world’s population is lacking access to essential health services. Out of pocket expenses related to health care are pushing millions of people into extreme poverty each year, the report says. Both organisations say they are committed to working with countries to increase access to essential health services.
Patents And Health Under Discussion At WIPO This Week: What Role For The UN IP Agency? 12/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Patents are often involved in public health policy discussions, and are considered by some as playing a major role in the escalating prices of new medicines, creating access issues. The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on patent law this week is discussing the issue and is holding information sessions by the Medicines Patent Pool, World Health Organization, and the World Trade Organization.
Medicines Patent Pool Expands Its Patent Database To Cancer Treatments 12/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced today that MedsPaL, its database of information on the patent and licensing status of selected HIV, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis medicines, now extends to patented treatments on the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines. New patents data include medicines for leukaemia, breast cancer and other cancer indications.
Analysis: As Biosimilar Of Key Cancer Drug Spreads, Where Is The Price Reduction? 11/12/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The first biosimilar of the blockbuster breast cancer drug trastuzumab is being prepared for launch in United States, following a decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve it earlier this month. The product, Ogivri, has been created by a joint venture between US Mylan and Indian company Biocon.
New UNCTAD, GIZ Toolbox: How To Achieve Policy Coherence For Local Production And Access To Medicines 05/12/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What do investment, trade, intellectual property, health financing, R&D, industrial and medicines regulation policy have in common? They are all important building blocks for the successful promotion of local pharmaceutical manufacturing. As more and more countries are looking into building their own pharmaceutical production capacities, they need to ensure strong policy coherence to be successful.
Global Biotech Industry Tests Policy Waters In Geneva 04/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A delegation of heads of biotechnology companies visited Geneva this month to present the International Confederation of Biotechnology Trade Associations (ICBA). The ICBA was created in 2012, but is now looking to make its voice heard in Geneva and inform policy discussions, and is finding it is not easy to become an observer in some organisations. They also underlined the importance of intellectual property for the biotech sector, in particular to attract indispensable capital. The delegation sat down with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez to talk about their Geneva visit.
WTO General Council Agrees To 2-Year Extension For TRIPS Health Amendment Acceptance 30/11/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Trade Organization General Council today agreed to a two-year extension for countries to adopt an amendment to the agency’s intellectual property agreement intended to help small economies get affordable medical products. But a decision on non-violation complaints will be left to the December WTO ministerial in Buenos Aires.
WHO Issues Two Reports Detailing Global Problem Of Substandard And Falsified Medicines 28/11/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization today issued two substantive reports on the problem of substandard and falsified medicines around the world, finding among other things that an estimated one in 10 medical products in low and middle income countries is either substandard or falsified.
Expert Panel Recommends That The WHO Move Forward On Transparency And Delinkage 28/11/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On Monday, 27 November, the WHO published the recommendations of the overall programme review of the global strategy and plan of action on public, health innovation and intellectual property (EB142/14). The expert panel provided 33 recommendations which included 17 forward looking”high-priority actions” including on transparency and delinkage, writes Thiru Balasubramaniam.
