South Africa: New Prominent Pro-IP Academic Comes Out Against Government 23/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The new Anton Mostert Chair of Intellectual Property Law at the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa, Professor Sadulla Karjiker, has pointed a finger at the country’s Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for being “unresponsive” to stakeholders offering their input into proposed IP legislation.
Special Report: India Rocked By Report Of Secret Assurance To US Industry On IP 22/03/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments That the Indian government has been under pressure from the United States to change its patent regime is no secret among those who follow the public discourse on intellectual property rights. Now, a new controversy about India’s alleged private assurance to the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and other lobby groups that it would not invoke compulsory licensing for commercial purposes seeks to add fuel to fiery speculation about a shift in India’s policy on IPR.
Asian Voices On Access to Medicines: Scrap TRIPS, Voluntary Licences Not Working, FTA Threats 18/03/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Speakers from Asian civil society provided recommendations to the public hearing of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines held yesterday. They underlined the unaffordability of medicines in their countries, the inefficiency of current mechanisms such as voluntary licensing, and the pressure applied by pharmaceutical companies and the United States and Europe to prevent the use of compulsory licences. One speaker warned against the expert advice given by the World Intellectual Property Organization to least-developed countries, while others pointed to stringent intellectual property measures in free-trade agreements.
US Officials Under Pressure To Include Industry In IP Talks With India 16/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United States government has increasingly engaged India on intellectual property rights and other trade issues in recent years, and US negotiators are under still more pressure to include industry in this engagement and deliver more results, a recent letter from 14 members of the US Congress shows.
High-Level UN Initiative On Global Public Health Gap Holds Landmark Hearing 11/03/2016 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments An initiative of the United Nations secretary general yesterday gathered what could be described as an assembly of many of the world’s best thinkers and practitioners on public health and intellectual property rights. Industry, activists, academics, international organisations, and possibly some governments poured out their views for nearly seven hours – at times coming to tears and tension – shepherded by an astute moderator, as they responded to the call to take a longstanding debate on medicines access and high prices to a breakthrough.
MSF Challenges Pfizer Patent Application For Pneumonia Vaccine In India 11/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Today, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) filed a patent opposition against Pfizer’s vaccine for pneumonia in India.
Civil Society Concerns Over US Health Service Plan To Give Exclusive Patent Rights To Sanofi 10/03/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States National Institutes of Health’s decision to consider granting an exclusive licence on patents for a newly government-developed vaccine to Sanofi has prompted a strong reaction from civil society warning against potential high prices and requesting transparency in the process.
WHO To Hold Stakeholder Consultation On Status Of Zika Research Next Week 04/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization has announced it will hold a closed-door, three-day consultation with key stakeholders next week in Geneva to discuss the current status of clinical research into the Zika virus.
FAO ‘Does Not Support Corporations’, Director General Says 17/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In response to the concerns about industry lobbying voiced by civil society recently at a symposium on agricultural biotechnologies, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) director general insists on the UN agency’s neutrality.
IFPMA Interview: Antimicrobial Resistance, Regulatory Systems High On Pharma Industry 2016 Agenda 17/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Priorities for the pharmaceutical industry in 2016 are antimicrobial resistance and the quest for new antibiotics, the strengthening of regulatory systems to facilitate access to drugs, and work on non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and cancer, according to the head of an international pharmaceutical industry group.