Vaccines At WHA: Immunization Concerns, High Prices For Middle-Income Countries 22/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Immunization coverage in many developing countries remains low and even shows a decrease in some cases, according to the report of a World Health Organization advisory group of experts, to be noted by this week’s World Health Assembly. A number of developing countries yesterday underlined the high cost of new vaccines and asked that the WHO help them campaign for lower prices.
New WHO Document On Neglected Disease R&D Model Projects 21/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new document on efforts to find innovative financing for neglected diseases has been made available today at the World Health Assembly.
Author Interview: “Emerging Markets And The World Patent Order” 21/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment “Emerging Markets and the World Patent Order” is a new book that looks at patent system implementation in emerging market and developing countries, and the response to this implementation by Europe and the United States. Florida State University Law Prof. Frederick Abbott, one of the organisers and editors of the book, recently discussed the book with Intellectual Property Watch
Sanofi-WHO Partnership Could Eliminate Sleeping Sickness By 2020 21/05/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A side event to this week’s World Health Assembly highlighted progress being made in a public-private partnership on the elimination of sleeping sickness, a disease that occurs in some developing countries.
Gates Foundation Echoes WHO Concern Over Medicines Access In Trade Deals 20/05/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Melinda Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation addressed the World Health Assembly today, highlighting a new initiative on newborns. And at a press conference earlier in the day, a senior colleague signalled support for WHO Director General Margaret Chan’s strong concern yesterday about possible negative effects of free trade agreements on access to affordable medicines.
BRICS Ministers Join Forces For Access To Medicines 20/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At a side event to the opening of the 2014 World Health Assembly, strong statements were made by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) country ministers and representatives to assume leadership and cooperate to tackle the issue of inaccessibility to affordable medicines in theirs and developing countries.
Independent Review Of WIPO Development Up For Debate 20/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property opened this week with a loaded agenda and some politically-charged issues. One of them is an independent assessment of the mandated mainstreaming of a development dimension into the activities of the UN organisation.
US High Court Opens Door To More (And Older) Copyright Suits 20/05/2014 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Music, movie, and television companies suffered a major defeat yesterday, when the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Petrella v. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The ruling will lead to a flood of new copyright infringement suits against these content companies, according to many experts. And content companies may not be the only losers.
Rise In Non-Communicable Diseases In Africa Needs To Be Addressed, Speakers Say 19/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Organisation of la Francophonie in collaboration with French pharmaceutical umbrella organisation “les Entreprises du médicaments,” organised a roundtable on non-communicable diseases on the eve of the annual World Health Assembly. Several health ministers as well as various stakeholders were invited to discuss “the fight against non-communicable diseases: a shared responsibility” on 18 May.
External WIPO Members Group Considers DG Investigation 19/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments According to sources, members of the Independent Advisory Oversight Committee, an external member state body at the World Intellectual Property Organization, are meeting this week to discuss a possible investigation into allegations made involving the WIPO director general.