WHO Health Specialists Meeting To Evaluate Potential Ebola Therapies and Vaccines
The World Health Organization this week is holding a consultation on potential Ebola therapies and vaccines.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category WHO
Biosimilar Medicines Need Strong Regulation, IP Crucial For Innovation, Pharma Says
Biosimilar medicines might prove to be a new reservoir for innovation for the pharmaceutical industry. However, the complexity of their manufacture needs a stringent regulatory framework, according to the industry.
WHO Raises Its Voice To Underline Health Effects Of Climate Change
The World Health Organization this week is holding its first conference on health and climate change. The major objective of the conference is to raise awareness on the impact of climate change on health, according to the WHO, which said it aims to strengthen its voice in the debate.
Market Failure, Not IP, The Issue In Ebola Treatment Shortage, WHO Says
Faced with the worst outbreak of Ebola since its discovery some 40 years ago, the world is scrambling for treatments. A World Health Organization-convened panel of experts has decided it is ethical to use experimental treatments. Why is there no treatment available even after 40 years? Market failure, not intellectual property rights, says the WHO.
World Drug Regulatory Authorities Meet In Brazil; Biosimilars In Focus
Drug regulatory authorities are meeting this week in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to discuss global regulatory issues such as vaccine regulation, falsified products, and pharmacovigilance. A “pre-conference” focused on biosimilars, with civil society warning on barriers to access to those products.
Global Medical Students Call For Shift To Health Over Trade, R&D
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines is calling for new incentive models for research and development so that new treatments can be found for neglected tropical diseases to fight antibiotic resistance, and is asking that health issues supersede trade interests.
Compulsory Licences Needed For Affordable Hepatitis C Innovative Drug Regimens
Compulsory licences should be issued to roll out generic versions of innovative HCV drugs. Only generic competition can push down the extortionate prices of these lifesaving medicines, while placing equitable access and public interest before monopolistic pharma companies’ business strategies, Daniele Dionisio argues.
New Medicines Patent Pool-Gilead Agreement For New HIV Drug In 112 Countries
The Medicines Patent Pool today announced a new licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences for a new treatment still undergoing clinical trials. This agreement is expected to allow Chinese and Indian generic manufacturers to provide low-cost versions of the drug in 112 low-and middle-income countries.
Codex Alimentarius Adopts New Food Safety Recommendations
A joint United Nations commission on food safety this week has set several new standards on level of lead, arsenic and drugs appearing in food.
UNAIDS Gap Report: Need Smarter Scale-Up, Focus On People Left Behind
According to a report released today by the United Nations programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), around 19 million of the 35 million people living with HIV do not know that they have the virus. But if the right steps are taken, the epidemic could be ended by 2030, it says.
WHO Report On NCDs Praises Efforts By Countries, But Not Enough
A World Health Organization report launched yesterday showed progress has been achieved in the fight against non-communicable diseases but it has been uneven, as some 38 million people die each year from those diseases.
Hamamoto Is New US Ambassador To UN In Geneva
The United Nations Office in Geneva today announced the official arrival of the new ambassador of the United States to the UN in Geneva, Pamela Hamamoto.