WHO’s Chan Responds To Allegations Of Misconduct On Flu Pandemic 08/06/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment “At no time, not for one second, did commercial interests enter my decision-making,” Director General Margaret Chan of the World Health Organization declaration in a letter today defending the organisation’s increasingly scrutinised response to an outbreak of H1N1, or ‘swine flu.’
Possible WHO-Industry Conflict Of Interest On Pandemic Flu Under Investigation 07/06/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Global health authorities have been guilty of “grave shortcomings” in transparency and accountability to the public good in their handling of the pandemic influenza outbreak says a new draft resolution from the intergovernmental Council of Europe. A related investigative report from the British Medical Journal found evidence of “declarable financial conflicts of interests” among the experts advising the World Health Organization. But WHO denies any wrongdoing.
Drug Access Waiver Debate Looms For June TRIPS Council Meeting 31/05/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Following weeks of consultations, World Trade Organization members are set next week to discuss a proposal to review a little-used amendment of WTO intellectual property rules aimed at boosting availability of affordable medicines in developing countries.
World Health Assembly Creates New Initiative For R&D Financing 21/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments World Health Organization members today took an important step closer to finding new ways to finance research and development into diseases afflicting developing countries.
New Resolution Gives Governments Control Of WHO Work On False Medicines 21/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments After an at times bitter week-long debate on the issue of fake and poor quality drugs, member states have decided they will lead the World Health Organization forward towards a resolution on the issue.
NGOs, Industry Weigh Alternatives For R&D Financing, Counterfeiting At WHO 21/05/2010 by Catherine Saez, William New and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The past year’s expert working group process at the World Health Organization on solutions for financing of research and development into diseases afflicting poor nations was flawed and led to an unsatisfactory result, representatives of non-governmental organisations said this week. But innovation and access can both be provided, and the issue of IP protection can be de-linked from the way innovation is done, speakers at a side event to this week’s World Health Assembly said. Meanwhile, NGOs and industry also offered their views on WHO counterfeiting efforts this week.
Conference Debates Strategic Patenting, Innovation & Public Health 21/05/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment MUNICH – Whether strengthening patent protection and extending data exclusivity is the way to more innovation in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic sector was the subject of a recent conference here.
Latest Chair’s Draft Issued On Future Of WHO And IP, Innovation 20/05/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The latest draft is now available from the Swiss chair overseeing a small side group at the World Health Assembly trying to work out how to take forward a landmark initiative within the UN agency on innovation and intellectual property rights. It shows that countries negotiating the WHO’s next step on the sensitive topic are leaning toward establishment of a new group with more government involvement this time.
New Draft Resolution On Counterfeits At WHO 20/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New Leave a Comment A new conference paper has been submitted to the World Health Assembly committee addressing the World Health Organization work on counterfeit and substandard medicines. It offers a way forward on this week’s most controversial issue by involving governments directly in the activities through an intergovernmental working group.
WHO’s Precious Matsoso On Public Health, Innovation And Intellectual Property 20/05/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual World Health Assembly is considering how to take forward a 2008 landmark decision at the World Health Organization that approved a new Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property. Precious Matsoso, the current director of the WHO programme, spoke to Intellectual Property Watch in April about the ongoing implementation of the strategy, and what is needed to keep momentum going.