New WHO Director Tedros’s Opening Vision: People First 04/07/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus began his first week as director-general of the UN World Health Organization by addressing the WHO staff with his vision for the organisation and the world. Top of the list? Humanity.
Enter The African Medicines Agency, Continent’s First Super-Regulator? 03/07/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An African medicines agency, the continent’s first super-regulator, could be approved as soon as next year.
Medicines Patent Pool Nets WHO’s Kieny As New Chair 03/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Marie-Paule Kieny, fresh out of the World Health Organization, where she held the position of assistant director general for Health Systems and Innovation, will be the new chair of the Medicines Patent Pool, as of 1 September.
World’s Most Effective HIV Drug Rolled Out In Africa In Generic Version 29/06/2017 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya – A generic version of dolutegravir (DTG), the drug of choice for the last two years for people living with HIV in high-income countries, is now available in Africa. On 28 June, the government of Kenya and drug pricing and innovation mechanism Unitaid unveiled the new first-line drug in an effort to accelerate access to better antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for her people living with HIV. It becomes the first country in Africa to introduce the generic version of drug.
WHO Starts Work On Essential List Of Diagnostics To Facilitate Access, Lower Prices 16/06/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization announced yesterday that it has begun work on a list of essential diagnostics, as an echo of its Model List of Essential Medicines.
WHO Director-Elect Tedros In US, Meeting With Funders, International Organisations, Governments 12/06/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Health Organization Director-Elect Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in touring the United States this week, visiting key funders of the WHO, partner international organisations, US government agencies and nongovernmental organisations, and a Canadian ministry.
WHO Members Take Steps Against Global Rise In Sales Of Human Body Parts 09/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Assembly last week adopted ten guiding ethical principles for the donation and management of medical products of human origin – that is, the rising market for body parts.
Human Rights Council Speakers: Right To Health Underlies All Other Rights, Access To Medicines Key 09/06/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment If governments have the obligation to help keep their citizens healthy, many of them are struggling to strengthen their health systems. A variety of hurdles is in the way, and lack of access to medicines is one of them, as underlined by the World Health Organization director general in her address to the United Nations Human Rights Council yesterday.
Summit: Artificial Intelligence Is Humanity-Changing, Build Safeguards Now 07/06/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For artificial intelligence enthusiasts, the future is bright. Soon intelligent machines will help humankind solve most problems, and according to one speaker at an artificial intelligence summit in Geneva this week, humans will be outsmarted by robots in the foreseeable future, in an artificial intelligence bliss. For others, artificial intelligence is far from delivering a fully positive outcome, and for several United Nations representatives, such as the World Health Organization, the world should not be entrusted to robots just yet.
WHO Members Mixed On Evaluation Of Director General Election Process 07/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The opinions of the World Health Organization member states on the just-completed election process for a WHO director general showed divisions, according to statements at last week’s meeting of the WHO Executive Board.