Bayer Will Appeal India Compulsory Licence On Its Cancer Drug 05/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments German pharmaceutical manufacturer Bayer has announced it will appeal yesterday’s ruling in India that upheld a compulsory licence on one of its drugs.
India’s First Compulsory Licence Upheld, But Legal Fights Likely To Continue 04/03/2013 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments New Delhi – India’s Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) today upheld the country’s first compulsory licence on a pharmaceutical product. The much-awaited verdict by Justice (Ms) Prabha Sridevan upholds the compulsory licence issued to Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma Ltd, an Indian generic drug manufacturer, which sells a much cheaper version of German pharmaceutical company Bayer AG’s kidney and liver cancer drug Nexavar in the market.
Should Industry Support LDCs’ Request For Unlimited Time To Implement The TRIPS Agreement? Absolutely 04/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Nick Ashton-Hart writes: Some of you may have noticed that the ICT sector trade association that I represent in Geneva, the Computer and Communication Industry Association (CCIA), has endorsed a bid by the world’s Least Developed Countries (LDC’s) to remove any specific deadline for full compliance with the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement.
Patent Pool-ViiV Collaboration On Paediatric HIV Sparks Reactions, Hope 04/03/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Medicines Patent Pool has announced a ground-breaking collaboration with a private sector joint venture that it said will facilitate greater availability of critical medicines for children with HIV worldwide. The announcement caused a wave of positive reactions across the public health community, with many hoping for more in the future.
WIPO Patent Law Committee Cinches Agreement On Future Work 01/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With the threat of suspension of work looming, the World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee of the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed to a minimal programme of work, which includes exceptions and limitations to patent rights, quality of patents, and patents and health. Delegates made significant concessions on all sides, but the Africa Group expressed particular disappointment in the limited commitment to work on the patents and health topic.
Speakers Outline Ideas For Africa To Find Appropriate IP Policies 01/03/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments Johannesburg, South Africa – Africa is still held captive by colonial borders and has failed to collectively leverage benefit-sharing agreements that result from multinationals’commercial pursuit of indigenous knowledge, said speakers at the Africa IP conference this week.
Global Health Giants, Trade Deals, And IP Play Central Role In 2013 Public Health Policy 28/02/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The role of intellectual property in a wide range of public health challenges – access to medicines, vaccine prices, procurement strategies, and research for diseases of the poor – is a focal point in 2013 cutting across national, regional, and international policymaking.
WIPO Members Struggle To Define Work Programme On Patents And Health 27/02/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the World Intellectual Property Organization’s patent law committee grapples with starkly differing positions on the topic of patents and health, the secretariats of WIPO, the World Health Organization and World Trade Organization presented to members how their first trilateral study on access to medical technologies and innovation could be used as an effective resource. While the secretariats emphasised the neutral, informative nature of the book, some members pointed to a need for greater analysis of the challenges developing countries face when trying to use patent flexibilities for access to medicines.
With Lively Start, African IP Conference Addresses Medicines Access, GIs 27/02/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Johannesburg, South Africa — The start of the Africa IP conference was the scene of a surprise protest action by Treatment Action Campaign health activists who ambushed the stage as South African Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies was about to welcome delegates to the three-day conference.
European Copyright Reform On Slow Track, Observers Say 27/02/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European talks aimed at dragging copyright law into the digital age are not likely to produce results any time soon because of resistance from rights holders and political manoeuvring in the European Commission, players from the internet service provider and consumer sectors say. But the Commission said while it’s true that changes could take several years, there will be regulation if needed.