Patients suffer as WHO politics continue

“Counterfeit” is a term that rarely needs defining, and yet controversy erupted again at the recent meeting of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board over just that. 
IMPACT (International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force) – a WHO partnership of major anti-counterfeiting players has recently proposed a new, stricter, definition of counterfeit medicines to help authorities combat [...]

IAPO calls on WHO member states to protect patients from counterfeit medical products

The International Alliance for Patient Organizations (IAPO) — a global alliance representing patients of all nationalities across all disease areas — issued a press release (included below) following the WHO Executive Board meeting calling on member states to protect patients from counterfeit medical products.  To meet this challenge, IAPO stated that numerous factors must be addressed, [...]

The WHO and counterfeit medicines – an unresolved discussion

At last week’s WHO Executive Board meeting, discussion focused on a WHO report and draft resolution on counterfeit medical products.  The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) was one of many health professional associations, NGO’s and other interested groups who joined the discussion.  Their full statement is included below, but some of the key points raised included:

A common comprehensive definition [...]

Counterfeit medicines and public health: an update from the WHO and on Bill S-799

According to a report from IP Watch, “No compromise has yet been found to bridge disagreements over the consultation process behind the counterfeit report and over the risk of confusing intellectual property violations with potentially dangerous misrepresentation of medicines.” 
As the WHO Executive Board met last week (January 19-27), a World Health Organization report and draft resolution [...]

China warns of more health scares amid slowdown

According to a recent Reuters report, the global economic slowdown could have serious health and safety implications.
BEIJING, Jan 14 (Reuters) – Chinese food and drug makers struggling in a declining economy could be tempted to cut corners and ignore quality standards, a senior Chinese official warned as the country awaits court verdicts in a tainted [...]

New Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme in the U.K. to Encourage Innovation and Access

A new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) came into effect in the U.K. on January 1, 2009.  The PPRS represents an attempt to balance incentives for innovation with cost and price restraint.  The objectives of the 2009 PPRS are:

To deliver value for money; securing the provision of safe and effective medicines at reasonable prices;
To encourage innovation [...]

Fake drugs and failed governance

The China Post published an interesting commentary on counterfeit medicines and the global response to this serious threat to public health.
The World Health Organization meets in Geneva this week (Monday, Jan. 19) to decide new measures against the exploding global trade in counterfeit medicines — up to a third of all medicines in Africa and [...]

TACD meeting on Patents, Copyright and Knowledge Governance

The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue recently hosted a meeting in Washington D.C. on Patents, Copyrights and Knowledge Governance.  Panellists were charged with making 2-3 concrete policy recommendations re IP for the incoming Obama administration.  While no consensus was reached, and in fact only a few of the presenters actually provided specific policy recommendations, there were some interesting presentations [...]

Backgrounder on compulsory licensing

The Council on Foreign Relations recently posted an interesting article which discusses global trade rules for intellectual property in the context of access to essential medicines.  The following is a brief overview of the article: 
In 1995, members of the WTO ascribed to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which established minimum levels [...]

Incentives for Research into Neglected Tropical Diseases

One of the many topics that have been discussed in the wake of the WHO’s intergovernmental working group on public health, innovation and intellectual property, is the issue of incentives for research into neglected tropical diseases.  Over the past decade, many public-private partnerships, government programs and other initiatives have fostered medical research into diseases primarily affecting developping countries [...]