Key Hepatitis C Drug Licensed To Medicines Patent Pool, Access Expanded For LMICs 12/11/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A key drug to treat hepatitis C has been licensed to the Medicines Patent Pool, enabling generic production and expanding affordable access to the drug in low and middle-income countries, excluding the very largest. The agreement between the Pool and AbbVie had been over a year in the making, MPP Executive Director Charles Gore told Intellectual Property Watch.
Intangible Capital Rising, IP Key For Start-Ups, Traditional Growth Model Has To Change, Panellists Say 08/11/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The importance of intangible capital is growing and so is the significance of intellectual property, according to some, and in particular in the new economy. Start-ups see intellectual property as an indispensable tool to attract investors and put their innovations onto the market. Developing countries still mainly stuck in what some call the “commodity trap” have to identify and exploit their intellectual property assets, according to panellists at an event held at the World Trade Organization yesterday.
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].
UN International Telecommunication Union Re-Elects Leadership For Another Four Years 01/11/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Houlin Chao of China has been re-elected secretary-general of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, with Malcolm Johnson of the United Kingdom re-elected as deputy secretary-general. Chao ran unopposed and received 176 votes, while Johnson defeated an opponent by garnering 113 votes. And in one of several other posts, ITU hailed the election of the first woman to a leadership position in the agency’s 153-year history.
US Releases New Medicare Drug Plan To “Pay The Prices Other Countries Pay” 26/10/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Department of Health and Human Services has released a new plan intended to reduce drug prices for some patients on Medicare, based on an international pricing index model. In his announcement of the plan, President Trump said the US would save money “for our seniors by paying the prices other countries pay. Nothing special, just the prices that other countries pay.”
Investing In New Antibiotic Research: Difficult Equation Discussed At World Investment Forum 25/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The diminishing arsenal of efficient antibiotics to fight bacteria is a threat denounced by many, but investment in research and development of new antibiotics is seen as lagging. As the danger of getting back to a pre-antibiotic age is increasing, alternative ways of financing new antibiotics are being discussed. At the World Investment Forum this week, a panel looked into innovative means of investment, and ways to attract private investors to this field.
G77+China Plan To Take UN TB Declaration Forward: Increased Resources, Access To Medicines 19/10/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Group of 77 developing countries plus China delivered a statement at the recent United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, calling for forward progress on the commitments to funding and action made in the UN political declaration on TB.
Antimicrobial Resistance At The World Investment Forum: UNCTAD, WHO Join Forces 16/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Investment Forum 2018, a biennial event organised by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), will hold a session on health this year jointly with the World Health Organization. The session will address the need for investment in the development of new antibiotics, hoping to raise interest among investors.