Original news and analysis on international IP policy
NEW YORK – The vast collaboration between the pharmaceutical industry, government and civil society is perhaps “one of the best-kept secrets of our industry,” the head of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) said this week, stressing the need for even more cooperating heading into the post-2015 development agenda at the United Nations.
Progress on mainstreaming a development dimension into all World Intellectual Property Organization activities and its assessment by a dedicated committee has been called into question by developing countries concerned that the mandatory effort has slipped in importance.
Member governments of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization today approved 15 new observers to the organisation, including three international organisations, and a range of nongovernmental organisations such as two significant public health-oriented groups. But two groups were rejected, including the high-profile Pirate Parties International. Separately, the member governments of the important WIPO Program and Budget Committee were also announced today.
In the context of a parallel event to the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assemblies, innovators from developed and developing countries shared their thoughts on how to foster a creative environment that encourages ground-breaking innovations.
Indonesia has become the fifth country to initiate dispute settlement procedures at the World Trade Organization challenging an Australian public health law requiring tobacco products to be sold in plain packages as a way to discourage their use.
At the end of a two-day conference in Switzerland, open knowledge experts emphasised the role of open data in strengthening science findings’ credibility, fostering medical research and enhancing sustainable development.
A new report released by the Yale Global Health Justice Partnership looks at the use of human rights to improve access to medicines by reducing the barriers that intellectual property laws create to such access.
The World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency in persistent financial straits, has announced it must begin charging a fee to manufacturers seeking prequalification of their vaccines and diagnostics. The announcement stirred concern among public health advocates that it might have a negative effect for procurement and access to life-saving medicines.
The civil society collective formed to pressure the South African government to reform its patent act has cautiously welcomed the release of the country’s draft intellectual property policy.
A new survey supports the argument of public health advocates that pharmaceuticals resulting from government-funded research in the United States should be no more expensive than in other similar countries, and that patent rights should be used to make it so.
The World Health Organization last week released a new report highlighting how global and local research can help design a system for universal health coverage tailored to each country’s specific needs.
The Medicines Patent Pool today announced an agreement with Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche to increase access and reduce the cost of a medicine that treats a viral infection in people with weakened immune systems, specifically for people living with HIV.