Category Health & IP

What Does WTO Extension For LDCs To Enforce IP Mean For Pharmaceuticals?

The recent extension granted by World Trade Organization members to least developed countries giving 8 more years to implement international intellectual property protection rules threw a shroud of confusion over a parallel WTO waiver for pharmaceutical products conferred on least developed countries until 2016. In an attempt to shed some light on the issue, several experts were asked for their reflections on the consequences of the new extension.

Infojustice: The Question Of Patent Eligible Subject Matter And Evergreening Practices

Infojustice writes: Over the past few years, patent-eligible subject matter has become one of the hotly debated areas of patent law in several countries. Even in the United States, the Supreme Court is beginning to express concerns about overly inclusive patent rules that stifle both competition and follow-on innovation. However, significant confusion persists over the difference between patent eligible subject matter and patentability requirements. Patent eligibility tests have proven quite difficult to apply, often leading to inconsistent and unpredictable results.

Concerns Raised Over Potential Threat of Investment Agreements

Investor agreements, included in many bilateral investment treaties (BITs), are a source of growing concern for many national governments. These agreements essentially leave countries vulnerable to litigation by individual firms, rather than other countries, as is the case in traditional World Trade Organization disputes.

Transitions In The Global IP Community

Just as the world of international intellectual property law and policy is ever-changing, so are the faces within it. Below you will find an updated list of the latest people news and IP moves across international organisations, national and regional governments, nonprofit organisations, and the private sector, from the first half of this year.

US Subcommittee Examines Toxic Substances Control Act, IP Protection

A subcommittee of the United States House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee today heard arguments for and against greater chemical regulation and trade secret protection in its review of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The hearing also examined the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s role in regulation.

WHO Priority Medicines Report Sees Drop In R&D Productivity

Decline in pharmaceutical research and development productivity is one of the main challenges addressed in the 2013 edition of the World Health Organization report, Priority Medicines for Europe and the World. Whether the decline in pharmaceutical R&D is due to R&D depletion, overly strict regulatory hurdles, or the current pharmaceutical business model remains unanswered.

WHO, WTO, WIPO Heads Call For More Medical Innovation

The leaders of three top international organisations in Geneva last week discussed synergies in public health and called for increased collaboration and creativity to move medical innovation out of its quagmire of inefficiency. The opening session was marked by the head of the World Health Organization urging stakeholders to develop mechanisms to separate drug prices from costs of research and development. And the head of the GAVI Alliance, in the keynote address, discussed how patent thickets could impede access to vaccines.