Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The international pharmaceutical industry this week released a policy statement targeting counterfeit medicines on the internet. Among the recommendations was for the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to join the fight.
A new study sponsored by the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) sheds light on the impact of strong intellectual property protection on access to medicines.
The Dominican Republic, a strong tobacco producer, today notified the World Trade Organization that it has launched a dispute settlement case against Australia over its new law requiring tobacco to be sold in plain packaging in order to discourage its use for public health reasons.
The European Commission yesterday announced its largest research budget ever, allocating €10.8 billion towards innovative research aimed at generating job growth for 2013. It issued a call for proposals that includes €1.5 billion targeted toward information and communications technologies.
An independent, UN-led multistakeholder group today issued strong recommendations on ways to improve ongoing global efforts to address HIV/AIDS. Among them - serious questions about the current intellectual property rights system.
The Supreme Court of India has postponed hearing final arguments in a key challenge to India's patent law brought by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis.
World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan was re-elected for another term at the annual May World Health Assembly. Now the WHO has issued a "report card" showing how she kept her promises during the first term. This includes a range of steps to ensure new drugs are affordable and accessible, even if intellectual property rights make them high-priced.
The accessibility and affordability of drugs in developing countries depend on robust generic competition and would benefit from greater transparency in the terms and conditions of licensing agreements, the acting head of the Medicines Patent Pool said on a panel at the World Intellectual Property Organization that included a speaker from the Indian generics industry and a representative of Gilead Sciences.
From government appointments and committee creations to key additions in the non-profit sector and industry advocacy’s revolving door, we’ve kept up with all of the latest hires, resignations, retirements and promotions over the past few months so you don’t miss a beat. Check out who you need to know.
A new pharmaceutical industry initiative aimed at improving access to HIV treatments in least-developed countries is raising questions as to how it will fit with the Medicines Patent Pool, an existing group with a similar mandate. As an informal meeting on the new initiative kicks off this week in New Delhi, scrutiny will be paid to whether the initiative’s drivers are several companies that have declined to negotiate with the patent pool and whether it is a good-faith effort to help the greatest number of patients.
The World Health Organization has published a paper that explains to policymakers and others how to take measures to protect public health against tobacco while staying within the bounds of international trade and investment law, under intense industry pressure. Key aspects of the report deal with intellectual property rights policy, as it relates to international trade.
A conference entitled the "5th Product and Pipeline Enhancement for Generics" to be held in Washington, DC on 17-19 July will feature industry leaders in the generic, branded pharmaceutical and API industries. Issues covered will include current and upcoming changes in regulations and the market, innovation in drug pipeline, portfolio management and business development, intellectual property protection and biosimilars.