Report: Lifesaving New AIDS Drugs Remain Costly; Older Versions Get Cheaper 22/07/2016 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments DURBAN, South Africa – The international medical humanitarian organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has found that prices of older HIV drugs continue to decline, but newer drugs largely remain expensive.
Commitment On Investment In Access To Essential Medicines Signed At UNCTAD14 22/07/2016 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NAIROBI, Kenya (IP-Watch) – A commitment signed this week to facilitate investment in Africa’s pharmaceutical industry is expected to boost the sector’s production and make available essential medicines for millions of needy people.
The “Denial Playbook”: An Original Product Of The Oil Industry 22/07/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments New documents reveal that the oil and tobacco industries took pages from the same book to engineer their decade long campaigns on denying the existence of climate change and smoking-related cancer. The playbook also appears to have originated not with tobacco, but with the oil industry itself, and the two even appeared to share patents.
Civil Society Calls On India To Backtrack On Policy Threatening Global HIV Response 21/07/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The International AIDS Society made a statement today at the International AIDS Conference in Durban, South Africa, voicing concerns about India’s recent policy which, according to the group, is threatening access to HIV treatment in India and around the world.
The Significance Of Uruguay’s Win Over Philip Morris International 21/07/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments The tobacco industry’s global efforts to use bilateral and multilateral agreements to challenge the spread of tobacco control measures such as trademark-minimising plain packages were dealt a significant blow last week when the World Bank dispute settlement body dismissed a case brought by Philip Morris against the government of Uruguay. The decision is seen a landmark for those who view the company as using test cases to continually challenge and delay public health protection measures and discourage other countries, particularly those with fewer resources, from strengthening their health regulations. Additionally, the case reasserted that trademarks are subject to government regulations and also illustrated the role that international organisations and actors can play in support of national governments defending their health measures.
WHO Updates Patent Status Info For New Hepatitis C Medicines 20/07/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization has issued updated information on the patent status of hepatitis C medicines, including assessments of hurdles for affordable generic versions of latest drugs.
AIDS Conference: Will The UN High-Level Panel Report Deliver R&D And Access To Medicines? 20/07/2016 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment DURBAN, South Africa – The lessons derived from the history of AIDS treatment have become a rallying call for civil society organisations globally. Not being able to afford AIDS medicines should not be repeated for people with other diseases, including HIV co-infections, treatment activists told world leaders here.
WHO: Countries Need To Step It Up On Noncommunicable Disease Commitments 19/07/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Despite “remarkable” progress by some countries on addressing noncommunicable diseases like cancer and diabetes, there is a need to accelerate efforts in order to meet agreed global commitments, the World Health Organization said this week.
Industry Report Tracks Innovation’s Value To AIDS Treatment In Developing Countries 18/07/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new report launched in time for this week’s AIDS conference in South Africa analyzes factors relating to access to HIV/AIDS treatments over the past 15 years. The analysis includes a look at government policies used during that time, the contribution of generic and research-based industries, and the importance of voluntary licensing.
Orphan Drugs Finding Home In Markets: Could Be 20% Of All Sales By 2020 15/07/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Worldwide sales for orphan drugs are forecast to reach $178 billion by 2020, according to a recent industry report. Moreover, the orphan drug market is expected to grow almost 12 percent per year, a level the broader pharmaceutical market “could only dream about” with its expected annual growth of 5.9 percent, according to Lisa Urquhart, editor of EvaluatePharma Vantage.