WHO To Form Expert Panel On Challenges Of Human Gene Editing 17/12/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization has announced it will be establishing a global multidisciplinary panel of experts “to examine the scientific, ethical, social and legal challenges associated with human gene editing.”
Experts Call For Global Accountability Mechanism For Access To Essential Medicines 10/12/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Global health experts, including senior officials at the World Health Organization, are calling for a global accountability mechanism for access to essential medicines, noting that a the lack of data on medicines affordability and national pharmaceutical expenditures has hindered this process, according a recent article published in UK medical journal The Lancet.
Singapore IP Office Grants First Accelerated Patent Under New FinTech Initiative 10/12/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) has granted its first accelerated patent under its new FinTech Fast Track initiative last week to Voyager Innovations, a technology company based in Southeast Asia, according to an IPOS press release. “While patent grants typically take at least two to four years, and in many cases even longer, […]
OECD Report Presents Policies To Balance Innovation With Access To Medicines 05/12/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released a new report that presents policy options for countries to strike a better balance between promoting financial incentives for pharmaceutical innovation and ensuring affordable access to medicines. Finding this balance, the report explains, will be essential for ensuring the sustainability of health systems.
Health Advocacy Groups Appeal EPO Decision To Uphold Gilead Hepatitis C Patent 05/12/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Six organisations, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders), today appealed a European Patent Office decision to uphold Gilead Science’s patent on hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir.
Study Finds Arthritis Drug Enbrel Overpatented, Overpriced in US 04/12/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Initiative for Medicines, Access & Knowledge (I-MAK) released a new study yesterday showing that the rheumatoid arthritis drug Enbrel has been overpatented by drugmaker Amgen, which has filed a total of 57 patents on the drug in the United States. Together, these patents were said to delay market competition by 39 years, rather than the standard 20 years for one patent. The study found that this market exclusivity for Enbrel resulted in US$ 8 billion dollars in sales in 2017 alone.
African Civil Society Outcry Over ARIPO’s Closed Decision-Making On Health And IP 22/11/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Administrative Council meets this week, more than 60 civil society groups are calling for greater inclusion and more transparency on access to medicines and diagnostics. Signatories are asking for a review of the Harare Protocol on patents and industrial designs, and raised concern about over-reliance on advice of the United Nations intellectual property agency for decisions affecting broader public health in the region.
USPTO Names Silicon Valley Tech Attorney As New Deputy Director 06/11/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced a new deputy director, Laura Peter, a veteran intellectual property attorney, most recently at Silicon Valley cyber-defence firm A10 Networks.
USPTO Solicitor/Deputy General Counsel Leaves For DC Law Firm 05/11/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Nathan Kelley has stepped down from his role as solicitor and deputy general counsel at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to join the Perkins Coie law firm in Washington, DC. Kelley also had served as chief administrative patent judge in charge of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
UAEM: In ‘Historic” Shift, Universities In Canada Adopt Licensing Promoting Access To Medicines 01/11/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) announced today that University of Calgary and McGill University are joining University of British Columbia in adopting Global Access Licensing Principles. These principles promote public access to publicly-funded medicines and life-saving health technologies developed in universities, according to a UAEM press release [pdf].