Unitaid Official Explains How ‘Breakthrough’ HIV Medicine Pricing Deal Brings Best To The Neediest 25/09/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK — In the midst of the high-level meetings of the annual United Nations General Assembly last week, health officials from the UN and foundations announced what they called a breakthrough pricing agreement that will speed the availability of “the first affordable, generic, single-pill HIV treatment regimen containing [the key compound] dolutegravir to public sector purchasers in low- and middle-income countries at around $75 per person, per year.” A senior official at Unitaid, the drug purchasing mechanism that helped reach the deal, explained to Intellectual Property Watch how it came about and why this is significant.
WHO Issues Alarming Report On Coming Shortage Of Antibiotics 20/09/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report issued today by the World Health Organization shows a “serious lack” of new antibiotics in development, even as resistance to existing antibiotics are on the rise. The head of the WHO said the report shows an “urgent need” for investment into research and development. In addition, a second report today from WHO […]
Key IP Delegates In Geneva – Fully Updated! 01/09/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Geneva, Switzerland is the gathering point for the world’s governments to set international policy and practices relating to intellectual property rights, as they cut across many of the public policy issues of the day (eg innovation, trade, internet, health, food), including at the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization and World Health Organization. Everyone has a stake in what governments and their stakeholders do in these venues. But who do you talk to in order to get your message through? Now Intellectual Property Watch has fully updated its unique list of the diplomats representing many of the key nations in those institutions in Geneva. Available here for subscribers only!
Better Data On Fake Drugs Needed To Fight The Scourge 30/08/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The problem of fake medicines is a big one. But precisely how big? The problem is, when reporting numbers, news stories, reports and institutions have historically bundled the different kinds of medicines together, says an expert at the WHO.
Report From WHO Fair Pricing Meeting Shows Balanced Discussion 28/07/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A wide range of governments and stakeholders attended a closed meeting in the Netherlands in May to address the ongoing problem of pricing medicines to pay for research and the resulting lack of affordability of those medicines. The report from the World Health Organization-led meeting shows a range of points were made by participants and signals a move to change the global policy.
The Case For Nations To Act On Medicines Access 23/07/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NEW YORK — A range of speakers, including top health officials from both a developed and developing country, last week laid out the case for why the world’s leaders must now launch a shift in the way medicines all populations need are developed and priced. The need for global collaboration is clear, speakers said, but who will lead?
WHO Prequalifies First Generic Hepatitis C Drug And First HIV Self-Test 21/07/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the days before this month’s AIDS conference being held in Paris, the World Health Organization has announced the prequalification of the first generic version of sofosbuvir, a “critical” medicine for treating hepatitis C. Treatment for hepatitis C under patent has been notoriously priced at extreme high levels, putting it out of reach of patients in economies of all sizes.
More Than Half Of People With HIV Now Have Access To Treatment, UNAIDS Says 20/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For the first time, more than half of people in the world living with HIV have access to treatment, UNAIDS said in a report released today in Geneva. In addition, AIDS-related deaths have been nearly cut in half since 2005, it said. As of 2016, nearly 20 million people were living with HIV.
WHO Influenza Watchdog Network Meeting In Geneva, Setting 5-Year Plan 18/07/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The global network of national influenza centres is at the core of the World Health Organization system of influenza surveillance and response. All year round those national influenza centres collect, interpret and share flu samples or genetic information with the WHO so that seasonal vaccines can be manufactured, and potential pandemics adequately identified and contained.
WHO Study: Most Countries Have Ability To Reach Universal Health Coverage By 2030 17/07/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study by the World Health Organization finds that most countries will have the technological and the financial ability to reach universal health coverage in the next 13 years, according to authors.