Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Three new documents from the World Health Organization programme on intellectual property and innovation obtained by Intellectual Property Watch provide new evidence on how technology transfer is working, analyse research prioritisation at the WHO, and indicate progress on a monitoring and evaluation strategy for the programme's continued implementation, according to a preliminary reading.
Intellectual property rights and access to medicines were on the agenda at the first day of a biotechnology industry group’s annual convention yesterday. The group held a panel on IP rights and also released a policy statement on access to medicine in developing countries. The director of the US Patent and Trademark Office commented positively on the initiative.
An alternative initiative to promote access to medicine with a method mimicking market mechanisms means to create additional incentives for health innovation, authors of the proposal said yesterday. But other health actors have reservations.
A public event was organised yesterday to discuss how the Health Impact Fund (HIF) could fit within existing structures and what challenges it could face.
In the United States, trade policy is generally considered an economic issue. But for developing countries like the Dominican Republic, it can be a matter of life and death, write Tanya Baytor and Patrick Griffith of Georgetown University Law Center.
BRUSSELS - Negotiations on the EU-India free trade agreement continue tomorrow in Brussels amid warnings from non-governmental organisations from India and Europe about possible negative consequences for the public health of poor citizens in India. But European negotiators sought to assuage fears.
Este mes, el Ecuador concedió su primera licencia obligatoria para un producto farmacéutico patentado, desde que el año pasado declarara que utilizaría normas internacionales que permiten tal concesión.
Esta acción ya le ha aportado al país ahorros sustanciales debido a la nueva competencia, según la oficina de propiedad intelectual ecuatoriana. Otros países latinoamericanos podrían verse atraídos por las perspectivas de precios de medicamentos más bajos, según dejaron trascender algunos defensores. El titular de los derechos se manifestó decepcionado por la decisión.
While the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is getting a lot of attention with its draft consolidated version just published, there is another convention dealing with one major aspect it was always said ACTA would tackle. The Medicrime Convention of the Council of Europe sets the first international standard for criminalising the manufacturing and distribution of counterfeited medicine risking public health. And Medicrime will overtake ACTA, as the draft convention text is ready to be signed by the Committee of Ministers in May and be opened for signature in November.
The World Health Organization’s team on issues of intellectual property and innovation in public health is seeing changes in key personnel, as implementation of the UN health agency’s plan on IP and innovation hits its stride. Malebona Precious Matsoso has been named Director General of Health for South Africa.
Ecuador this month granted its first compulsory licence for a patented pharmaceutical since declaring last year that it would utilise international rules allowing it to do so.
The move has already brought the country substantial savings due to new competition, according to the Ecuadorean intellectual property office. Other Latin American countries might be drawn to the prospect of reduced drug prices, according to advocates. The rights owner said it is disappointed with the decision.
The World Health Organization needs to streamline its functions and make more space for civil society, and international health systems must be strengthened in order to achieving public health goals, said panellists at this week’s Geneva Health Forum.