Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The World Health Organization’s team on issues of intellectual property and innovation in public health is seeing changes in key personnel, as implementation of the UN health agency’s plan on IP and innovation hits its stride. Malebona Precious Matsoso has been named Director General of Health for South Africa.
The World Health Organization needs to streamline its functions and make more space for civil society, and international health systems must be strengthened in order to achieving public health goals, said panellists at this week’s Geneva Health Forum.
Biotechnology, international trade, and pandemic influenza were among the topics discussed at the outset of this year’s Geneva Health Forum.
Public health authorities and observers in Geneva this week are discussing problems and possible solutions to medicines pricing and availability in developing countries. But concerns were raised yesterday about a World Health Organization expert group on medicines access and innovation.
A review of the World Health Organization’s response to the 2009 pandemic influenza outbreak kicked off this week, with firm statements from those involved in the response that they were not unduly influenced by outside stakeholders. Still, serious questions remain about the coordination effort, as a nearly a year after the pandemic was declared developed countries find themselves having to dispose of excess vaccines while poorer countries are reporting they have yet to obtain as many as they need.
Today, board members of international drug purchasing mechanism UNITAID approved a 2010 budget for a pioneering patent pool initiative.
世界卫生组织就处理假冒伪劣（conterfeit）药品问题继续开展工作，但是上周晚些时候召开的一个会议暴露出一些方面对该组织的工作方式表示担心。
Alors que l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS) continue de travailler sur la question des médicaments contrefaits, une réunion organisée en fin de semaine dernière a révélé des inquiétudes quant à la manière dont ce travail est mené.
Brand name pharmaceutical companies’ concerns about profit losses related to the UNITAID patent pool might undermine access to newer and appropriate HIV medicine formulations in resource-limited settings. A universally agreed strategy to supplement UNITAID plan is therefore needed, writes Daniele Dionisio.
La Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) continúa trabajando en el tema de los medicamentos falsificados, pero la semana pasada una reunión reveló preocupaciones progresivas sobre la forma de conducir la labor.