UN High-Level Panel On Access To Medicines Issues “Landmark” Report 14/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 10 Comments The long-awaited report by the United Nations High Level Panel on Access to Medicines was released today, making many recommendations. The panel calls for countries to embrace the policy space available in the World Trade Organization intellectual property rules, and invest more in health. It also calls for negotiation of a binding international treaty on research and development, delinking prices from R&D costs, greater transparency in drug pricing, public health impact assessments in free trade agreements, and encouragement to better use international legal tools available to countries to ensure affordable medical products. And it lays out the path ahead, calling for several new bodies to be created to take recommendations forward. [Note: story is being continuously updated during the day, now adding industry response]
Shifting Mindsets To Improve Access To Medicine 13/09/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments What levers need to be pulled to improve access to medicine worldwide? Jayasree K. Iyer, Executive Director of the Access to Medicines Index, shares ideas that she says would lead to more people accessing the medicine they need.
UNITAID Issues Call For Solutions To Overcome IP Barriers 06/09/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments UNITAID, the drug financing mechanism, has put out an appeal calling for ideas on solutions to overcome intellectual property barriers that may be preventing progress in public health. The deadline for submissions is coming near.
WHO Experts Seek To Have Its Flu Framework Recognised Under Nagoya Protocol 02/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Will an international instrument protecting genetic resources get in the way of the world’s preparedness to fend off the next influenza pandemic? This is one of the questions left open for a group of experts reviewing the World Health Organization Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework. Meanwhile, one stakeholder is claiming to have been denied full and fair participation.
Innovation And Access: Fission Or Fusion? Interview With Jennifer Dent, President, BIO Ventures For Global Health (BVGH) 01/09/2016 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the light of the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, this series of sponsored articles challenges experts to give their views on the policies that best support the development of solutions to societies’ greatest challenges and how enabling policy environments, including IP systems, influence the development and flow of new technologies and services in different sectors, fields of technology, and jurisdictions. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors. Below is an interview with Jennifer Dent, President, BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH).
WHO Debates Expansion Of Role In Virus-Sharing 31/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The global treatment of influenza is under reconsideration at the World Health Organization this week, as a review group of a WHO influenza pandemic framework looks at issues such as its relationship with an international treaty protecting countries’ ownership biological resources.
WHO Flu Pandemic Framework Working, Group Says; Some Concerned 30/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A World Health Organization framework to respond to influenza pandemics is working successfully, the confidential draft report of a review team has found. But some areas, such as virus genetic information, still need more work. Stakeholders, meanwhile, are challenging some findings and a concern was raised that lawyers may be influencing the science behind decisions on this issue.
Virus Sharing Key Against Next Flu Pandemic: Global Database Hosts Genetic Data Of Flu Viruses 26/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments When a deadly influenza virus appears and threatens to become a pandemic, time is of the essence. The 1918 flu epidemic infected a large portion of the global population and killed millions of people. The next pandemic is inevitable, and surveillance of flu viruses is essential through the timely sharing of flu virus genetic data with the scientific and research communities. A collaborative database has become prominent in recent years.
WHO Pandemic Flu Review Group Meets Next Week 24/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The review of a World Health Organization mechanism for sharing pandemic influenza viruses while ensuring access to vaccines for developing countries is nearing conclusion. Next week, the reviewers will hold their last meeting, including an open session for governments and stakeholders to share views. The review is addressing issues such as the mechanism’s relationship with other international rules, and how to handle the rising use of genetic data instead of biological samples.
WTO, WHO, WIPO Host Discussions On Antimicrobial Resistance In October 24/08/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Antimicrobial resistance has been described as a major threat to public health, as infections, even minor, might become killers again, if no new antibiotics are discovered. In October, the World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization and World Trade Organization will join forces for a symposium organised to discuss how to foster innovation, and access.