New WHO Document On Neglected Disease R&D Model Projects
A new document on efforts to find innovative financing for neglected diseases has been made available today at the World Health Assembly.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category Health & IP
Role Of Industry, NGOs, Foundations At WHO Under Intense Debate
A proposal to increase the engagement of “non-state actors” - industry, nongovernmental organisations, foundations and academics - in the activities of the World Health Organization is under intense debate at the annual World Health Assembly this week.
Sanofi-WHO Partnership Could Eliminate Sleeping Sickness By 2020
A side event to this week’s World Health Assembly highlighted progress being made in a public-private partnership on the elimination of sleeping sickness, a disease that occurs in some developing countries.
Gates Foundation Echoes WHO Concern Over Medicines Access In Trade Deals
Melinda Gates of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation addressed the World Health Assembly today, highlighting a new initiative on newborns. And at a press conference earlier in the day, a senior colleague signalled support for WHO Director General Margaret Chan’s strong concern yesterday about possible negative effects of free trade agreements on access to affordable medicines.
BRICS Ministers Join Forces For Access To Medicines
At a side event to the opening of the 2014 World Health Assembly, strong statements were made by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) country ministers and representatives to assume leadership and cooperate to tackle the issue of inaccessibility to affordable medicines in theirs and developing countries.
UNDP Report Promotes Competition Law To Boost Access To Medicines
The United Nations Development Programme has launched a new publication on the use of competition law to promote access to health technologies. The guidebook describes competition law as an underused tool to be harnessed by developing countries and is designed to help them proficiently using it.
WHO Director Chan Stresses Polio, Inequity, Climate, Junk Food, Supremacy Of Health Over Economic Interests
World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan opened the annual World Health Assembly today with strong calls to address a wide range of top health concerns across the world. This included a call for the global health community to work to assert the primacy of health concerns over economic interests.
Rise In Non-Communicable Diseases In Africa Needs To Be Addressed, Speakers Say
The International Organisation of la Francophonie in collaboration with French pharmaceutical umbrella organisation "les Entreprises du médicaments," organised a roundtable on non-communicable diseases on the eve of the annual World Health Assembly.
Several health ministers as well as various stakeholders were invited to discuss "the fight against non-communicable diseases: a shared responsibility" on 18 May.
New Initiative To Address Lack Of Paediatric-Specific HIV Treatments
As the World Health Assembly, a new partnership has been launched by three major public health actors in the field of HIV treatment. The initiative is meant to find improved treatments for children suffering from HIV/AIDs. Although all actors agree that significant progress has been made on adult treatments, children-specific medicines are still lacking.
WHO Report Compares Prices, IP Status Of HIV Treatment In Middle-Income Countries
A new report from the World Health Organization concludes that prices of HIV treatments vary greatly between middle-income countries (MICs), often depending on patent landscape, licensing agreements, whether drugs were sourced from originator companies, and regulatory approval. For third-line treatments, the price of drugs remains a challenge for all, with newer products more likely to be patented in key countries of production.
IP, R&D Among Issues In Packed Agenda Of 2014 World Health Assembly
The annual World Health Assembly kicks off next week with a full agenda of new and old public health issues, including several related to intellectual property, pricing, and research and development. Below is a guide to the key issues for Intellectual Property Watch readers.
IP-Watch Subscribers – Updated List Of IP Delegates In Geneva
The Geneva IP delegates list is updated! As a special feature for our subscribers, Intellectual Property Watch has assembled a new list of many of the leading government delegates working on intellectual property issues in Geneva.