Gates Foundation Echoes WHO Concern Over Medicines Access In Trade Deals 20/05/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Melinda Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation addressed the World Health Assembly today, highlighting a new initiative on newborns. And at a press conference earlier in the day, a senior colleague signalled support for WHO Director General Margaret Chan’s strong concern yesterday about possible negative effects of free trade agreements on access to affordable medicines.
BRICS Ministers Join Forces For Access To Medicines 20/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At a side event to the opening of the 2014 World Health Assembly, strong statements were made by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) country ministers and representatives to assume leadership and cooperate to tackle the issue of inaccessibility to affordable medicines in theirs and developing countries.
WHO Director Chan Stresses Polio, Inequity, Climate, Junk Food, Supremacy Of Health Over Economic Interests 19/05/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan opened the annual World Health Assembly today with strong calls to address a wide range of top health concerns across the world. This included a call for the global health community to work to assert the primacy of health concerns over economic interests.
Rise In Non-Communicable Diseases In Africa Needs To Be Addressed, Speakers Say 19/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Organisation of la Francophonie in collaboration with French pharmaceutical umbrella organisation “les Entreprises du médicaments,” organised a roundtable on non-communicable diseases on the eve of the annual World Health Assembly. Several health ministers as well as various stakeholders were invited to discuss “the fight against non-communicable diseases: a shared responsibility” on 18 May.
WHO Report Compares Prices, IP Status Of HIV Treatment In Middle-Income Countries 16/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report from the World Health Organization concludes that prices of HIV treatments vary greatly between middle-income countries (MICs), often depending on patent landscape, licensing agreements, whether drugs were sourced from originator companies, and regulatory approval. For third-line treatments, the price of drugs remains a challenge for all, with newer products more likely to be patented in key countries of production.
IP, R&D Among Issues In Packed Agenda Of 2014 World Health Assembly 16/05/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The annual World Health Assembly kicks off next week with a full agenda of new and old public health issues, including several related to intellectual property, pricing, and research and development. Below is a guide to the key issues for Intellectual Property Watch readers.
Reforms To Spanish Patent Law Promote Filings At National Level 14/05/2014 by Angela Garcia Medina for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 11 April 2014, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a draft law reforming the current Spanish Patent Law of 1986. The reform aims to reconcile the regulation with the international framework, strengthen the Spanish patent system and make it easier and faster to obtain solid patent titles in Spain. It contains a few notable changes.
IP-Watch Subscribers – Updated List Of IP Delegates In Geneva 13/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch and Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Geneva IP delegates list is updated! As a special feature for our subscribers, Intellectual Property Watch has assembled a new list of many of the leading government delegates working on intellectual property issues in Geneva.
Special Report – Students To Universities: “We Have A Drug Problem” 13/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments BASEL — Students from around the world are gathering momentum to challenge their universities’ licensing policies and research and development systems. That was one of the messages emerging from the annual meeting of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) Europe.
Book: Spark Employee Creativity Through Less Control Of Ideas 12/05/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A new book argues that the conventional business approach to increasing control over employees and the talents they carry out actually stifles their creativity and inventiveness.