Original news and analysis on international IP policy
As it published the three-millionth international patent application under its Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) on 2 February, the World Intellectual Property Office suggested that there may be ways to improve the system in the future.
Despite being in a time of tight budgets, the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting which ended this week had its heaviest agenda ever, according WHO Director General Margaret Chan, adding to staff workload and expenses. But the Board finished its work a day early (though after holding three evening sessions), earning praise from Chan. Efforts during the week to make meetings more efficient by limiting agenda items and reducing time allowed for statements fell short. Separately, concerns arose over a leadership advisory group to the WHO director general.
Health advocacy groups called on the European Commission yesterday to change the way it funds research and development for new medicines so that innovations can serve a larger public.
An interesting year lies ahead for trade policymakers. With US President Donald Trump sticking to his “America First” announcement pulling back from the Trans-Pacific Partnership right away, a new trade (world) order might be in the making. In every crisis, there is opportunity, Argentinian Trade Minister Susana Malcora said in Davos during the January World Economic Forum (WEF) where the business elite otherwise traded concerns at the beginning of an unpredictable year 2017.
World Health Organization member states seeking solutions for ensuring medicines access have been looking for ways to get a recent controversial report from the UN headquarters on the WHO agenda. The Executive Board this week heard concerns and left open the possibility that it will come up at the annual World Health Assembly in May.
The European Parliament Legal Committee this week did not bother to further discuss the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright exceptions for print disabled persons. Instead, Rapporteur Max Andersson declared that he favoured putting the file to a vote right away. Andersson told Intellectual Property Watch that the parliament would adopt the report in March or latest April.
A resolution has been passed by Chile’s Chamber of Deputies, a branch of its National Congress, to encourage the use of compulsory licences to import generic versions of a patented drug when necessary to protect and promote the health of the population.
President Trump and members of his administration have rightly talked about the need to be tougher on trade enforcement, including promising to take a closer look at existing trade agreements to see whether they should be revoked, renegotiated, or more strictly enforced. A candidate ripe for review is Colombia, and in particular, its ongoing failure to implement intellectual property provisions under the U.S. Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA), Nigel Corey writes.
The Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament has voted to adopt a draft report on measures to increase availability of medicines within the European Union.
World Health Organisation members tried to agree on a draft resolution on cancer during the WHO Executive Board but consensus escaped them, in particular on intellectual property issues, according to sources. The text is expected to be discussed informally with a view to reaching common language on the remaining issues by the annual World Health Assembly in May.
Finding resources to fund research and development for diseases primarily affecting developing and least-developed countries is a continuous challenge. Hopes were raised in 2015 with projects to launch a Global Observatory on Health Research and Development, and a voluntary pooled fund for research and development projects. However, the lack of funding is jeopardizing those initiatives despite some contributions by developed and middle-income countries.
A high-level meeting at the World Trade Organization today welcomed in an amendment to international trade rules for intellectual property aimed at boosting exports of affordable medicines. It also set out the way ahead to make it work.