Recent media focus on intellectual property rules has led many to believe that the entire debate centers around the issues of piracy of films, videos and DVDs. There is a constant refrain that a watertight regime of intellectual property rules is essential to protect the rights of those who devised, developed and produced innovative goods, be it art or health cures. Under GATT and the WTO, the latter created in 1995, the rules protecting and harmonising intellectual property have been enhanced to principally benefit corporate and neo-colonial interests, under the Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIPS) regime. TRIPS is extremely controversial in its failure to recognise traditional and communal knowledge systems and rights while at the same time insisting on strong protection, enforcement and regulation of corporate aligned intellectual property rules.
Health equity in economic and trade policies
In a verdict that could ripple across the pharmaceutical industry, a U.S. jury in a federal lawsuit has ruled that Eli Lilly infringed a patent covering drugs that work through one of the body's basic biological pathways. The patent, issued in 2002, is claimed to cover any drug that works by influencing the action of an important protein in the body. Some critics have said that patents covering an entire pathway in the body, as opposed to a particular drug, could hinder drug development.
This discussion paper seeks to determine the impact that bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) have both internationally and domestically on intellectual property regimes. In particular the paper looks at the impact this will have in countries that are net- importers of products related to IPR. It also highlights strategic approaches that different countries have used when tackling this problematic matter.
The Olle Hansson Award recognises the work of individuals from developing countries who have contributed most to promoting the concepts of essential drugs and their rational use and increasing the awareness among consumers of the dangers of irrational and hazardous drugs.
Africa needs the capacity and donor aid to react swiftly to deal with a potentially large-scale outbreak of bird flu, a conference of experts from 19 African countries heard yesterday. "Africa needs a rapid response to the disease and must draw up practical measures to control and prevent the disease," Malawi's Agriculture Minister, Uladi Mussa, said on the opening day of the conference in the capital, Lilongwe.
On the 6th of December 2006 the WTO General Counsel agreed to amend the TRIPs Agreement by permanently incorporating an earlier waiver. Paul Kruger, a TRALAC researcher, comments on the decision to "Amendment to the TRIPs Agreement: The issue of universal access".
Big Pharma could land billions of dollars in annual sales that it would have lost to generic competitors thanks to a Food and Drug Administration backlog of applications for generic drugs. The article dissects the potential advantages and disadvantages, including it being bad news for generic drug makers like the industry leader Teva Pharmaceuticals, but great news for Big Pharma companies which can continue to sell their branded drugs after their patents have expired without any generic competition.
In a green room WTO meeting of some Ambassadors convened on Monday 3 April, Pascal Lamy informed the group that he will indeed convene a mini ministerial. He has told a small group of Ambassadors to let their Ministers know that they should be in Geneva by 29/30 April to 3/4 May. (Another Ambassador gave another set of dates - 27 April - 5 May). It will be a invitation only Ministerial of about 20-30 Ministers. Ministers from Africa are likely to include Kenya, Mauritius, Zambia, Benin, Senegal, Egypt, South Africa, possibly Nigeria. Agriculture and NAMA week is taking place starting 17 April. Read more at the link below.
Research and development (R&D) companies dominate both the public- and private-sector markets in developing countries, despite the growing number of manufacturers able to produce low-cost generic and biosimilar products around the world. This paper describes the different types of hormonal contraceptive manufacturers and opportunities for increased competition from generic and biosimilar suppliers in the procurement field and the commercial sector, as well as barriers faced in the industry.
The World Bank, a leader in the global effort to control malaria, has been accused of deception and medical malpractice by a group of public health doctors for failing to carry out its funding promises and wrongly claiming its programmes have been successful at cutting the death toll from the disease. The serious charges are levelled by Amir Attaran, a professor at the Institute of Population Health and faculty of law of Ottawa University, and colleagues from around the world. Writing in an online publication for the Lancet medical journal, they say the World Bank is unfit to lead global efforts to control the disease, which kills around 1 million people a year - most of them small children.