UN High-Level Meeting On Noncommunicable Diseases: A Call To Action 28/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a high-level political declaration on noncommunicable diseases like cancer and unhealthy lifestyle. And while it gives an infusion of political energy to the issue, some are concerned it did not go far enough and are urging strong actions to follow.
UN General Assembly Adopts High-Level Political Declaration On Noncommunicable Diseases 27/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly is meeting today for the Third High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases, and has adopted an ambitious political declaration, entitled, “Time to Deliver: Accelerating our response to address NCDs for the health and well-being of present and future generations.”
Interview With The President Of Brazil’s Industrial Property Institute 27/09/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Luiz Otávio Pimentel is president of the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) of Brazil. In Geneva this week for the annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies he took time to sit down with Intellectual Property Watch’s William New. INPI is part of the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services. On a breaking issue, Pimentel talked about the case in Brazil involving sofosbuvir, marketed as Sovaldi, Gilead’s effective medicine against hepatitis C that has been known for its exorbitant prices.
World Leaders Commit To End Tuberculosis At Historic United Nations Meeting 27/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK — World leaders and senior representatives came together today for the first-ever High-Level Meeting on the Fight to End Tuberculosis at United Nations headquarters in New York. At the meeting, heads of state adopted a political declaration with commitments to accelerate action and funding to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030.
WIPO And Pharma Industry Launch Medicines Patent Database For Easier Access To Medicines 25/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new initiative, the Patent Information Initiative for Medicines (Pat-INFORMED), was launched today at the World Intellectual Property Organization to help health agencies procure medicines. The collaboration between WIPO and the pharmaceutical industry, a free and open-access database, provides information on the legal status of patents on approved medicines.
Brazil Signs Deal With Medicines Patent Pool To Share Patent Information 25/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Brazil yesterday signed an agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), through which the country will share patent information with the MPP. The Brazilian IP office joins several others in an effort to regular update of the MPP’s database on patent information. Separately, high-level representatives of Latin American and Iberian countries met on the side of the annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies taking place this week.
WIPO General Assemblies 2018: External Offices, Treaties, New African Collaborations 21/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members gather next week for their annual General Assemblies. Among the topics to be discussed is which countries will host new WIPO external offices in 2018-2019. Also on the agenda are the reports from various WIPO committees, with some raising the prospect of convening high-level final negotiations on international treaties next year. A number of side events and exhibitions are also scheduled, focusing on issues like health, women, and innovation.
Why Follow-On Pharmaceutical Innovations Should Be Eligible For Patent Protection 21/09/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Christopher M. Holman writes: Despite the important role of intellectual property rights in incentivizing innovation, the patenting of pharmaceutical innovation is frequently accused of impeding access to medicine. Criticism of the prevailing patent regime has focused in particular on patents directed towards follow-on pharmaceutical innovation, i.e., innovation that seeks to improve upon existing pharmaceuticals and their use in treating patients. Patents on follow-on innovation are often derided as “secondary” patents, with the implication that the underlying inventions are somehow lesser in nature than the subject matter claimed in “primary” patents, i.e., the drug active ingredient per se. While implicitly acknowledging the legitimacy of primary patents, critics of so-called secondary patents contend that patents on follow-on innovation allow drug innovators to “evergreen” their products, i.e., to extend the period of patent exclusivity beyond the expiration of any original patent on the drug active ingredient, and in doing so contribute to the high cost of drugs, thereby limiting the ability of patients to access the drugs upon which they have come to rely.
WHO Releases Draft Roadmap For Access To Medicines; Comments Show Polarised Views 20/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment It is now acknowledged by most that the issue of access to medicines is not only a concern for developing and low-income countries, but a global challenge. The World Health Organization was tasked at its last annual assembly in May to draft a roadmap for access for the next five years. A preliminary draft of the roadmap was discussed last week with member states and stakeholders. The roadmap includes 10 priority activity areas, and a number of deliverables.
US, EU Consumer Group Releases Resolution Calling To Delink R&D From Monopoly Incentives 20/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD), a forum of United States and European Union consumer organisations, yesterday released a resolution calling on policymakers “to break out of the current dysfunctional and harmful trade-off between innovation and access,” and to delink research and development (R&D) from monopoly pricing.