Pre-Grant Opposition Filed Against Janssen’s Bedaquiline Fumarate Application In India 08/02/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Tuberculosis and its variant – Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB) – are global public health emergencies. Current treatment regimens are expensive, tedious and prolonged: the overall treatment duration is 20 months or more, requiring daily administration of drugs that are more toxic and less effective than those used to treat drug-susceptible TB. Most of the drugs for treating TB are old and are known to have severe side-effects, writes Sandeep K. Rathod.
IP Still At Heart Of Access To Medicines Discussions At WHO 07/02/2019 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property is often pointed at as hindering access to medicines by resulting in their long-lasting unaffordability, a view which is strongly opposed by IP proponents. The discussions on access to medicines last week during the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting yielded a record number of interventions by member states and nongovernmental organisations, reflecting the importance of the issue.
Trump Highlights IP, Trade, Drug Prices In Speech To Congress 06/02/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment President Donald Trump gave the US Congress a rosy, nationalistic presentation of the condition of the US economy and security last night and amid the range of issues raised, mentioned intellectual property twice in the context of trade, and extensively discussed lowering drug prices.
US IP Enforcement Coordinator Under Trump Asks, “What Can We Do Differently?” 05/02/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Trump administration is taking the US intellectual property enforcement coordinator’s role in new directions, building on past administrations but trying to address ways it has not been effective in the past, according to the annual report of the coordinator, released yesterday.
TRIPS Debated As WHO Board Reaches Agreement On Universal Health Coverage 05/02/2019 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Health Organization Board members agreed last week on a draft resolution for the preparation of a United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on universal health coverage in the fall, following intensive closed consultations in which intellectual property rights played a significant role.
WHO Board Sceptical On Changes To Global Flu Framework, Sends Issue To WHA 04/02/2019 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Health Organization Executive Board last week remained uncertain on the way forward on questions of access to influenza viruses as countries are increasingly implementing an international protocol regulating the sharing of genetic resources. The Board requested informal discussions be held in the lead-up to the annual World Health Assembly in May.
WHO Governance Questioned As It Adds World Health Assembly Agenda Item On Biodiversity 01/02/2019 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Health Organization today admitted to an unusual procedure to set up a debate on the health implications of a UN treaty on sharing of benefits from genetic resources. The new agenda item proposed by the WHO director general was accepted by the WHO Board today, but with member states questioning the governance of the move.
Current R&D Causes High Prices In Drugs; New Model Needed To Make Drugs More Affordable, Speakers Say 01/02/2019 by Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BANGKOK – The current research and development model may encourage innovation in medicines, but has caused drugs to become unaffordable and inaccessible for people, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries, panellists and participants at a major conference here said.
Switzerland Receives Request For Compulsory Licence On Breast Cancer Drug 01/02/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Swiss health activist group Public Eye yesterday requested the Swiss government to declare a compulsory licence for a Roche breast cancer treatment which the group says is unaffordable.
US Congressional Watchdog Launches Team For Sci/Tech Analysis 31/01/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new chapter begins. The business of technology and science has been, and will increasingly be, the business of government: with this in mind, the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has launched a new Science, Technology Assessment and Analytics (STTA) team with the aim to expand the support to lawmakers on topics whose importance has exponentially increased in the world of today.