Importance Of Flu Pandemic Preparedness Confirmed By WHO Board Decision 26/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment One hundred years after the great Spanish flu pandemic, World Health Organization members today underlined their satisfaction with the organisation’s framework to get countries best prepared for the next pandemic: The WHO Executive Board agreed on keeping most of the funds coming to the framework for preparedness measures, and a smaller portion for response measures, unless emergency strikes.
New Text Shows Progress Of Negotiation On IP And Access At WHO 25/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Brazilian ambassador and others this morning at the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting were not going to let go of what seemed to be a delaying tactic by the United States and Japan to postpone agreement on the implementation of measures aimed at facilitating research and development and access to medicines. The WHO Board today is considering a set of streamlined strategic measures on public health, innovation, and intellectual property.
WHO Board Shows Resolve In Tackling Shortages, Access To Medicines, Vaccines 25/01/2018 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The members of the World Health Organization Executive Board tonight (24 January) agreed to create a roadmap on global shortages of, and access to, medicines and vaccines. WHO members proclaimed the urgent need to address prices and availability of safe and efficient medicines and vaccines, some requesting the recently elected director general of the organisation to help find solutions.
ITU: 4 Of 5 People In LDCs Can Access Mobile Networks, But Are Not Using Internet 24/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report by the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) shows “great strides” in mobile phone penetration in least-developed countries. However, those countries are well behind developed countries when it comes to internet usage.
WHO Members Set To Debate Transparency Of R&D Costs 24/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Health Organization Executive Board members and observer countries today are preparing to discuss recommendations on ways to lower prices and make medicines more accessible. This includes a new proposal to increase transparency in research and development costs that is reportedly causing concern among some developed countries.
New Project To Sequence Genes Of Amazon Biodiversity, Enforce Benefit Sharing, Announced At Davos 24/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new partnership announced at the World Economic Forum this week plans to sequence the genome of all biodiversity in the Amazon basin and make sure that benefits from the commercialisation of products derived from this mapping are fairly and equitably shared.
Three New Draft Proposals At WHO: Shortages, Snakebite, Assistive Technology 23/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Three new draft proposals at the World Health Organization Executive Board this week underline the importance of access and affordability, whether it is vaccines and medicines, including antivenoms, or assistive technology. The draft resolutions call on member states as well as the WHO secretariat to urgently take action to facilitate access to products and technologies at affordable prices.
New WHO Director Calls On Board To Join In “Intensive” Period Of Change 22/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment All human beings should receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship, such is the definition of universal health coverage, a key point of discussion at the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting this week. New WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Dr Tedros) opened the event by presenting his vision for the future, and the collective work to accomplish necessary changes to the UN health agency. The European Union and United States warned against politicisation of the WHO.
Heading Off Global Action On Access To Medicines In 2018 19/01/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the dawn of 2018, political and health leaders must seize the growing momentum and opportunities to tackle the protracted challenges of access to medicines that undermines efforts to save lives and improve health as committed under the Agenda 2030 SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] by all UN member states, write Jorge Bermudez and Viroj Tangcharoensathien.
EPO-EU Conference Examines Hot Topic Of Patentability Of Plants In Europe 18/01/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The last couple of years have brought heated discussions in Europe on the patentability of plant innovations, leading to a recent amendment of patent application rules at the European Patent Office. Two major actors share this innovation landscape: the biotechnologists and the plant breeders, with similar but not identical needs for protecting their invention. A joint conference on innovation in the plant sector was held recently by the EPO and the Community Plant Variety Office.