Patent On AIDS Drug Will Not Limit Access In India, Industry Argues 30/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment It is “misleading” and “counter-productive” to assert that a pharmaceutical company’s filing for a patent on a HIV/AIDS drug in India will limit access to the drug in the future, GlaxoSmithKline said in response to an objection submitted today in India. The comment is a response to the submission of a “pre-grant opposition” to the […]
Potential WIPO Reform Discussed At Consumer Conference 22/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment BRUSSELS – A consumer-led conference on intellectual property touched on a wide range of issues during its second day, from whether the $9 physical production costs of CDs are saved through digital distribution, to what would be an ideal reform of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Antony Taubman, who heads the traditional knowledge division […]
Public Health And Patents Heat Up WIPO Debate On Harmonisation 08/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Discussions at an open forum last week on a possible harmonisation of international patent laws showed that countries do not only disagree on whether it would be useful or not but also have different expectations on what such a harmonisation would encompass. Judging from the at times sharp debate, the most contentious issue seems to […]
WHO Board Submits Unresolved Text On New R&D Agenda To Assembly 28/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organisation Executive Board agreed Friday to submit a heavily bracketed draft resolution on the need to develop safe and affordable medicines for diseases primarily affecting the world’s poorest people to the World Health Assembly for consideration. The resolution was submitted to the board by Brazil and Kenya with the original headline “Global […]
WHO Board Sends Trade And Health Resolution To Assembly For Vote 27/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organisation Executive Board this week agreed on a resolution linking health to international trade issues, and will forward it on to the World Health Assembly in May for final adoption. The resolution was agreed to by an informal consultation group, open to all member states, on 24 January and the board approved […]
WHO Board Wrestles With IP And Public Health Report, R&D Proposal 27/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Executive Board of the World Health Organisation this week is struggling with how to proceed on issues of intellectual property rights, innovation and public health. The issues are being addressed by a special commission which failed to meet a mandate to present its report to the board this week. At the same time, two […]
R&D Resolution Formally Submitted To WHO Board Meeting 24/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Brazil and Kenya have officially submitted a resolution on a new global framework for research and development (R&D) to the 23-28 January World Health Organisation Executive Board meeting and the resolution has been placed under an agenda item to come up later this week. The resolution (EB117/Conf.Paper No.3) was formally submitted on Monday afternoon, a […]
Bird Flu Pandemic Priority For WHO Board As Nations Scramble For Supplies 24/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pandemic influenza preparedness figures prominently on the agenda of the World Health Organisation’s board meeting this week, and countries are still deeply concerned about the lack of supply, according to sources. One of them is Egypt. A domestic media debate erupted after it became known that the country has only been supplied with some 1,000 […]
WHO IP Commission Seeks To Overcome Leak Of Report To Industry 23/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New A closed-door World Health Organisation commission appears to have reached tentative agreement on a draft report on intellectual property rights and public health, according to sources familiar with the situation, despite an alleged earlier leak of the draft or some portion of the draft to industry. The […]
Kenyan R&D Proposal Possibly Among IP Issues For WHO Board 17/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Kenya has submitted a proposal for a new global framework for research and development to the World Health Organisation Executive Board, but procedural issues may prevent it from being included on the agenda of the board’s 23-28 January meeting, according to sources. The Kenyan proposal is one of several intellectual property issues that could come […]