March-in Rights: A Lost Opportunity To Lower US Drug Prices 18/05/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 17 Comments It appears not just unfair, but absurdly so. The US government paid for research that produced a patented drug, the patents were licensed exclusively to a Japanese firm, and that firm is now committing price discrimination against the US. Astellas Pharma is selling its anti-prostate cancer drug, Xtandi, for over $129,000 per year per patient in the United States – triple the price of the drug in Japan. Alas, this situation is not unusual. Many drugs that were financed by US taxpayers are sold in the US at exorbitant prices, but are much cheaper in other high-income industrialized nations. This differential price problem could be solved easily. However, the US government has consistently refused to exercise its march-in rights in order to lower drug prices.
New Industry Alliance Aimed At Antimicrobial Resistance 18/05/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pharmaceutical industry representatives today announced a new alliance to fight antimicrobial resistance. The announcement came during a meeting of the private sector of the most advanced countries.
Attacks On WHO Candidate Are Defamatory, ‘Colonial’, Ambassador Says 17/05/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The African Union delegation to the United Nations came in outspoken numbers to a press briefing today to express unshakable support for the Ethiopian candidate to be the next head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Investor-State Provisions Mean EU Cannot Conclude Singapore Trade Deal Alone, EU Court Says 16/05/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Union free trade agreement with Singapore cannot be concluded by the European Union alone, at least not in its current form, according to an opinion (2/2015, ECLI:EU:C:2016:992) handed down by the European Court of Justice in Luxemburg earlier today.
How The CIA WikiLeaks Disclosure Diverts Attention From Big Picture 15/05/2017 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The WikiLeaks publication of hacking tools and malware the CIA has allegedly used continues to stir the ire and fear of those concerned about the possible risk of the US government’s backdoor access to private data. But WikiLeaks’ publication of alleged CIA-created malware instructions, which the CIA has not confirmed as authentic, diverts attention away from how numerous other state-sponsored agents are aggressively seeking to steal intellectual property and other data, security experts say.
International IP Treaties Bring Tension in Africa’s Homegrown Knowledge Governance 15/05/2017 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, South Africa — The belief that intellectual property promotes foreign direct investment and international trade has brought tension in African countries’ ability to eliminate trade barriers, and to ensure local governments are able to develop policies that respond to local needs, according to an extensive new analysis.
Brussels Conference On Innovation, Research and Competition In EU 12/05/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An academic conference this month will explore issues related to innovation, research and competition in the European Union, addressing topics such as 5G, big data, patents and standards.
WHO Studies On Local Pharma Production Provide Key Contrasts Between China, India 11/05/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Two new studies published by the World Health Organization provide insight on the production of pharmaceutical products in India and China. According to the studies, China has a substantial local pharmaceutical manufacturing sector which the Chinese government is closely linking to its policy objective of universal health care. India, the main global provider of generic medicines is not pursuing a comparable focus on universal health care. India is increasingly faced with Chinese pharmaceutical sector competition, with China being its main provider of commoditized active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).
Access Treaty for Visually Impaired Readers (Finally) Steps Forward On EU Ratification 11/05/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After prevaricating for about three years, the European Union now seems to be about to ratify a treaty lifting copyright across borders for books in special format for visually impaired people. The European Blind Union saluted the agreement as great news for millions of people with visual disabilities but warned that a provision allowing EU members to impose economic compensation on organisations representing blind persons and libraries could run counter to the benefit of the treaty.
US, EU Diverge On Medical Diagnostic Patents 10/05/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A recent article in the journal Nature Biotechnology finds that since a key United States Supreme Court decision, the European Union and United States have diverged in their patent filings for medical diagnostics.