Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2010: Copyright Fights, ACTA, Medicines Access 30/12/2010 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At Intellectual Property Watch, a list of the top 25 posts of 2010 reveals your – our readers’ – top interests and tells the tale of the past year. It also is a reminder that quality reporting needs support. Please subscribe to IP-Watch via our website, or contact the director at wnew@ip-watch.ch.
Nations Closer To Pandemic Vaccine Framework, Key Negotiator Says 24/12/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment There could be some good news in 2011 for poor populations concerned about the impact of devastating pandemic diseases. Nations last week reached some breakthroughs behind closed doors in the sensitive international negotiations on finding a way to ensure all global citizens can obtain vaccines in the face of pandemics, according to a leading official in the talks. But some observers said problems remain in establishing clear rules for fair access and benefit-sharing of viruses and vaccines.
US Ambassador In Geneva Defends Secrecy In UN Pandemics Negotiations 17/12/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva this week offered a frank assessment of the UN system of dealing with pandemic diseases, and defended the need for governments to negotiate in secret to work out remaining differences.
Europe Told Of Obligations On Virus Benefit-Sharing 14/12/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In what may be the first legal reference to newly adopted international rules on sharing the benefits of and access to genetic resources, non-governmental groups have sent letters to top European health officials reminding them of these obligations in the context of influenza viruses and access to vaccines – a topic under debate this week at the World Health Organization.
WHO Members Again Attempt Global Plan Against Pandemics 06/12/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The most recent outbreak of pandemic influenza was mild, but the World Health Organization is still working on a plan of what to do should another, more severe outbreak ever occur. States will come together this month in another attempt to finalise this plan.
World AIDS Day Brings Calls For Legislative Caution, Reform 01/12/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Canada’s Parliament has the power to save lives of millions afflicted with HIV around the world if they will act to ease intellectual property-related restrictions on their access to medicines, Canadian civil society groups said today.
Key IP-Related Personnel Changes In UN, National Agencies 01/12/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The end of the year is bringing many changes in intellectual property-related policy offices in Geneva and the capitals. Some of these changes include top offices at the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Health Organization, South African government, United States government, and a global internet body. Intellectual Property Watch Subscribers can read the details here.
US FDA’s Tough Road Ahead In Creating Pathway For Life-Saving Biologics 07/11/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The US Food and Drug Administration heard from myriad pharmaceutical companies, patient groups, and other stakeholders last week as the agency considers how to create an abbreviated pathway to bring more biologic drugs to market.
Sharing US Drug Patents with Neglected Patients: A Scientist’s View 05/11/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Instead of re-hashing old debates about patents, patients and profits, forward-looking pharmaceutical executives should consider new ways of ensuring that medicines reach all patients who need them,” writes John Erickson, one of the researchers who discovered the HIV medicine recently licensed by the National Institutes of Health to the Medicines Patent Pool.
Emerging Economies’ New Initiative On Falsified And Substandard Medicines 22/10/2010 by William New and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Several major generic-medicine producing nations last week held a discussion on the dangers of compromised medical products and joined together to urge new steps such as defining terms, focussing on public health and strengthening national regulatory capabilities beyond strictly enforcement actions that they say have been manipulated and at times counterproductive.