Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The World Health Organization programme of work 2019-2023 is one step closer to being adopted by member states and serving as a guideline for the future vision and mission of the organisation. The Executive Board approved the programme last week and recommended its adoption at the upcoming World Health Assembly. The programme issued by the secretariat in autumn was revised twice, as countries requested amendments.
After long deliberations, the World Health Organization Executive Board agreed this morning to ask member states and the organisation to implement recommendations aiming at improving innovation and access to medicines. Three recommendations, specifically aimed at member states, including on the transparency on the cost of research and development of medicines, met resistance by some countries and were left hanging, to be discussed by member states with no timeframe.
The Brazilian ambassador and others this morning at the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting were not going to let go of what seemed to be a delaying tactic by the United States and Japan to postpone agreement on the implementation of measures aimed at facilitating research and development and access to medicines. The WHO Board today is considering a set of streamlined strategic measures on public health, innovation, and intellectual property.
Three major international organisations in Geneva dealing with health, trade and intellectual property rights will come together next month to look at how innovative technologies can help to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health.
All human beings should receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship, such is the definition of universal health coverage, a key point of discussion at the World Health Organization Executive Board meeting this week. New WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Dr Tedros) opened the event by presenting his vision for the future, and the collective work to accomplish necessary changes to the UN health agency. The European Union and United States warned against politicisation of the WHO.
The United States, possibly working with like-minded countries, is working to prevent the further spread among international organisations in Geneva of recommendations put forward by the 2016 United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, considering them to be ideological driven and dangerous to economic growth. The comments were made by a US official speaking to a recent US industry event in Washington DC involving many of the US intellectual property attachès, at which two attachés from Geneva described latest developments and strategy for the coming year. A key message from attachès to industry: come to Geneva and engage, starting with this week’s Executive Board meeting at the World Health Organization.
At the dawn of 2018, political and health leaders must seize the growing momentum and opportunities to tackle the protracted challenges of access to medicines that undermines efforts to save lives and improve health as committed under the Agenda 2030 SDG [Sustainable Development Goals] by all UN member states, write Jorge Bermudez and Viroj Tangcharoensathien.
A network of civil society organisations chose the birthplace of the World Trade Organization, Marrakesh, to hold a global summit on intellectual property and access to medicines this week. Part of the summit focused on stringent IP measures in free trade agreements in particular with the European Union, introducing patent term extension and data exclusivity periods.
The World Economic Forum is meeting next week in Davos, with Indian Prime Minister Narenda Modi opening the forum, and US President Donald Trump closing it. One of the focuses of the annual meeting will be on finding ways to reaffirm international cooperation on common challenges, such as the environment and the global economy.
The World Health Organization Executive Board meets next week. On the agenda are recommendations of a review group on the WHO Global Strategy on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property, and WHO proposed actions to increase access to affordable and safe medicines and diagnosis. The Executive Board is also expected to consider a report on noncommunicable diseases, new possible organisations to enter into official relationships with WHO, and how to address the global burden of snakebites, including access to treatment.