WIPO Delegates Told Patent Information Essential, Given Revealing Data On Medicines Access and Trade 14/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee delegates heard a number of presentations this week on the relationship between patents and health, and access to medicines. The importance of patent information and accurate, up-to-date databases was underlined, particularly for procurement. The weight of intellectual property rights on the issue of access to medicines and prices and generic market entry was pointed out, but so were other factors, such as the small percentage of new drugs with added benefit, tariffs, and trade delays.
WHO, World Bank Say Half The World Population Cannot Access Essential Health Services 13/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment According to a report released today by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, at least half the world’s population is lacking access to essential health services. Out of pocket expenses related to health care are pushing millions of people into extreme poverty each year, the report says. Both organisations say they are committed to working with countries to increase access to essential health services.
Patents And Health Under Discussion At WIPO This Week: What Role For The UN IP Agency? 12/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Patents are often involved in public health policy discussions, and are considered by some as playing a major role in the escalating prices of new medicines, creating access issues. The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on patent law this week is discussing the issue and is holding information sessions by the Medicines Patent Pool, World Health Organization, and the World Trade Organization.
Medicines Patent Pool Expands Its Patent Database To Cancer Treatments 12/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced today that MedsPaL, its database of information on the patent and licensing status of selected HIV, hepatitis C, and tuberculosis medicines, now extends to patented treatments on the World Health Organization Model List of Essential Medicines. New patents data include medicines for leukaemia, breast cancer and other cancer indications.
Analysis: As Biosimilar Of Key Cancer Drug Spreads, Where Is The Price Reduction? 11/12/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The first biosimilar of the blockbuster breast cancer drug trastuzumab is being prepared for launch in United States, following a decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve it earlier this month. The product, Ogivri, has been created by a joint venture between US Mylan and Indian company Biocon.
WIPO Committee On Development and IP Agrees On Future Work, Keeps Several Issues Open 11/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property in its latest meeting agreed on a list of items to be discussed at its next session. No consensus was found on a potential biennial conference on IP and development, but discussions are set to continue. The committee also agreed to a suggestion to invite the team conducting an independent review on the implementation of the Development Agenda Recommendations to further explain some of their own recommendations.
New UNCTAD, GIZ Toolbox: How To Achieve Policy Coherence For Local Production And Access To Medicines 05/12/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What do investment, trade, intellectual property, health financing, R&D, industrial and medicines regulation policy have in common? They are all important building blocks for the successful promotion of local pharmaceutical manufacturing. As more and more countries are looking into building their own pharmaceutical production capacities, they need to ensure strong policy coherence to be successful.
Global Biotech Industry Tests Policy Waters In Geneva 04/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A delegation of heads of biotechnology companies visited Geneva this month to present the International Confederation of Biotechnology Trade Associations (ICBA). The ICBA was created in 2012, but is now looking to make its voice heard in Geneva and inform policy discussions, and is finding it is not easy to become an observer in some organisations. They also underlined the importance of intellectual property for the biotech sector, in particular to attract indispensable capital. The delegation sat down with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez to talk about their Geneva visit.
EU-MERCOSUR FTA Puts At Risk Access To Medicines In Brazil, New Impact Assessment Study Finds 01/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The European Union (EU) is currently negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) with the four founding members of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), which comprises a chapter on intellectual property rights (IPR). A new round of negotiations is taking place from November 29th to December 8th in Brussels[1]. Word is that they aim to announce the closure of the agreement at the next World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference that will be held from 10-13 of December in Buenos Aires and the clock is ticking to close all the chapters before that. The authors have conducted a study that shows the adoption of the measures proposed by the EU could put the sustainability of access to health policies in Brazil at risk, as they could sharply increase public expenditures on medicines.
ARIPO Adopts Plant Variety Regulations, As Farmers Advocacy Groups Raise Concern 30/11/2017 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment KAMPALA, Uganda — The Forty-first Session of the Administrative Council of African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) held this month adopted the Regulations for the Implementation of the Arusha Protocol for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants, amidst protest from civil society organisations and farmer representatives.