How To Avert The Coming Drug Access Crisis 10/07/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Interview With Ellen ‘t Hoen, Senior IP Advisor At UNITAID, author of “The Global Politics of Pharmaceutical Monopoly Power.”
Report: Drug Companies Violating WHO Ethics On Advertising In East Africa 02/07/2009 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI – Drug companies routinely violate World Health Organization ethical guidelines when advertising and promoting their products in East Africa, according to a new study released Thursday.
Health R&D Experts Conclude Meeting With Few Details But Signal More Openness 01/07/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An expert body under the World Health Organization tasked with finding innovative solutions for financing research for needed medicines concluded its second official meeting Wednesday, working on a process to analyse possible mechanisms. The WHO afterward appeared to address concerns – which included a civil society letter – by insisting there would be more transparency in the negotiating process, but did not provide assurance that potential conflicts of interest would be properly addressed.
WHO R&D Financing Group To Parse New Ideas, Look For Ways Forward 29/06/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Perhaps the single most critical issue to resolve in addressing neglected diseases is how to ensure there is money to pay for research and clinical trials, even when the consumer demand is small and its constituents poor. A group of experts under the auspices of the World Health Organization this week is attempting to address the problem.
WHO Or Who Should Guarantee The Right To Health? 24/06/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With implementation of the World Health Organization strategy on intellectual property and innovation beginning in earnest, international experts this week debated how human rights could be infused into global health strategies – including the possibility of new international agreements on research and development – and whether WHO is up to the task.
EU, US Consumer Groups Issue Resolution On Enforcement; Demand Role In ACTA 23/06/2009 by Robinson Esalimba for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 15 Comments An international coalition of consumer groups has issued a resolution calling into question global enforcement policy and offering core principles for policymakers to consider in setting new enforcement standards.
GAVI, Gates Deploy Industry-Favoured Incentive For Vaccines To Poor Countries 12/06/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Major public health funders have alighted upon an industry-favoured approach of guaranteeing certain prices to industry to make vaccines available to least-developed country markets.
Proposed Rules On Public Research In South Africa Stir Debate 04/06/2009 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments Draft rules on intellectual property rights in publicly financed research are stirring significant debate in South Africa between those who say the rules may stifle innovation, breach WHO commitments and be unconstitutional, and others who say concerns are overblown and the measures are needed to boost the country’s economy.
Off The Agenda, Counterfeits Still Draw Attention At Health Assembly 23/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Counterfeit medicines were left off this year’s truncated World Health Assembly agenda but still managed to have an impact. The contentious, intellectual property-related issue arose during a discussion on the World Health Organization’s future plans, as several nations objected to a budget line referencing a programme to combat counterfeit drugs.
World Health Assembly Finds Way Forward On Pandemic Flu 22/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Responsibility to take forward a still in-progress framework to cope with global influenza pandemics is now in the hands of the World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan, member states agreed in a meeting Thursday. This was approved by the full World Health Assembly on Friday.