Original news and analysis on international IP policy
World Health Organization members sent a clear signal at the annual Assembly last week when they committed to step up efforts to find ways to fund research into diseases that results in affordable products, according to the top WHO official working on these issues.
The first agreement on how to manage relationships between a United Nations organisation and non-governmental actors, such as industry, philanthropic organisations and public interest groups, was adopted on 28 May by the World Health Assembly. The framework, which had been discussed for several years, was hailed as historic by many countries, but met a mixed reaction from those primarily concerned.
Today, the annual World Health Assembly is poised to approve a new plan on research and development into medical products that are affordable to all. NGOs, industry and other observers welcomed the outcome.
As the 69th World Health Assembly draws to a close, member states are being asked to approve a series of draft global health sector strategies for HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections. And the issues involve some questions of intellectual property rights.
A closed-door drafting group this evening arrived seemingly easily at agreement on a resolution on broadening work on new ways to fund research and development into medical products, according to participants. The agreement includes the creation of a new expert committee on health R&D, and asks for a WHO proposal on a pooled fund, they said. [Update: draft text now available]
Two years after Ebola, the World Health Organization continues to push forward with a thorough overhaul of how it responds to health emergencies. These include Public Health Emergencies of International Concern (PHEICs), such as the Ebola and Zika outbreaks, as well as natural diseases, conflicts, refugee crises, and the like.
If adopted as expected tomorrow by the World Health Assembly, a framework guiding the relationships between the World Health Organization and outside actors will be the first of its kind in the United Nations system, according to sources.
Medicines for Europe, representing the generic, biosimilar, and medicines in Europe, announced today during a side event at the World Health Assembly, that it joined the Global Campaign to Fight Fake Medicines.
With the end of the annual World Health Assembly looming tomorrow, member states are working away behind closed doors to finalise a resolution on how the World Health Organization shall work with outside actors going forward.
According to a new report, by 2050, some 10 million lives could be lost a year due to antimicrobial resistance. This is an issue which has been central to this year’s World Health Assembly, and is of global consequence. Delegates gathered for the occasion noted a report by the World Health Organization secretariat on the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance adopted last year and options to develop a global stewardship framework to try to limit the use of antibiotics and develop new ones.
A side event to the World Health Assembly organised by a number of delegations on antibiotic research and innovation reflected the deep global concern about antimicrobial resistance and the lack of candidates to replace what was once considered as a miracle of modern medicine.
Public health advocates - and many nations - had high hopes that this year's World Health Assembly could finally agree on some alternative ways to fund research and development that leads to affordable medical products by de-linking R&D costs from prices, through the long-awaited discussion of a landmark 2012 report of a WHO expert group on medical R&D. This week, that discussion has spread across the highest profile topics of the week such as antimicrobial resistance and emergencies, but some are concerned that the public health safeguards recommended by the expert group may be being left behind.