Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Catherine Saez As the world struggles with a global food crisis, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) is working to support biodiversity as a way to contribute to food security. To that end, the FAO…
By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch As a novel prize system to encourage the development of treatments for diseases that disproportionately affect patients in developing countries launches in the United States next month, concerns are already being voiced as…
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Representatives of industry and the public as well as intellectual property law experts are puzzled by the ongoing secrecy under which negotiations on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) are being held. The…
By Catherine Saez Intellectual property-related issues appear to be a clear policy focus of the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as an IP mandate was reconfirmed by the 12th quadrennial UNCTAD conference in April and the organisation…
Por Monika Ermert para Intellectual Property Watch A pesar de las declaraciones anteriores de negociadores europeos que sostenían que se necesitaría más tiempo para realizar las adaptaciones necesarias al planificado Acuerdo Comercial de Lucha contra la Falsificación (ACTA, por su…
By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
When Biotechnology Industry Organization CEO Jim Greenwood meets with members of the United States Congress to talk to them about follow-on biologics, he brings a graphic model of an aspirin and a DVD showing the complex molecules of a biologic drug. He uses these visuals to help explain the differences between traditional chemical drugs and newer, cutting-edge biological ones being used in many breakthrough therapies for cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases.
The differences between traditional chemical drugs and biological ones is the crux of the debate going on in the United States as Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) try to create a regulatory pathway that gives consumers greater access to cheaper, generic biological drugs, but still spurs innovation and protects innovator patent claims.
"When the legislation was introduced at the beginning of this Congress, most pundits expected that we'd oppose it," said Greenwood, a former House representative from Pennsylvania, told Intellectual Property Watch. "But that was a mistake the pharmaceutical industry made in the '80s - trying to resist the notion you could safely make generics …our view at BIO is that we need to follow the science, and science says you can make follow-on biologics that can be safe and can save the consumer money and therefore we support it."
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Despite earlier statements by European negotiators that the planned Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) would need time for fine-tuning, nations seem to accept a fast track movement now. ACTA has been mentioned as an…
Por Kaitlin Mara Una iniciativa intergubernamental de carácter excepcional para la financiación de medicamentos en las regiones pobres y mal abastecidas tomó una decisión histórica la semana pasada: adoptar un acuerdo sobre el interés de compartir los derechos de propiedad…
Par Catherine Saez Selon certains participants à une réunion-débat qui s’est tenue récemment, le transfert de technologie vers les pays les moins avancés (PMA) a été freiné par divers facteurs, comme la réticence des entreprises des pays développés à établir…
Par Kaitlin Mara UNITAID, une initiative intergouvernementale de financement des médicaments dans les régions pauvres et mal desservie, a pris une décision la semaine dernière une décision qui fera date en reconnaissant l’utilité de partager les droits de propriété intellectuelle…