WHO raises global alert for swine flu outbreak

Dr. Margaret Chan, WHO’s Director-General, yesterday raised the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to 5, warning that a pandemic is likely imminent.

Listen to the Audio statement by WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan – 29 April 2009 

Swine flu is suspected of killing 160 people in Mexico and making about 2,500 ill.  The United States reported the first swine flu death outside of Mexico, a Mexican toddler who had travelled with his family to Texas.

Total American cases surged to nearly 100, spreading to 11 states.  The WHO has also confirmed cases of swine flu in Canada, Britain, Israel, New Zealand and Spain.  Germany, Austria and Peru became the latest countries to report infections. Germany reported four cases yesterday, Austria and Peru one each.

Dr. Chan stated that all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans.  At this stage, effective and essential measures include heightened surveillance, early detection and treatment of cases, and infection control in all health facilities.

In response to the WHO’s warning, Mexican President Felipe Calderon told his people to stay home for a five-day partial shutdown of the economy.  Mr. Calderon ordered government offices and private businesses not crucial to the economy to stop work to avoid further infections from the new virus.

For more information on swine influenza and the WHO’s role in coordinating a global response, visit the dedicated WHO Epidemic and Pandemic Alert and Response site.

Explosion in drug websites puts patients at risk

An investigation by the Telegraph (London, UK) revealed that hundreds of websites, many based in Britain, are selling dangerous drugs which should only be prescribed by doctors.

The Telegraph’s investigation revealed websites selling dangerous drugs with few or no checks.

The law states that patients buying drugs over the internet must first undergo a full online “consultation”.  Several websites based in this country remained within the law by insisting on a free “consultation” with a doctor registered with the General Medical Council – essentially, a basic online quiz – before supplying prescription drugs.  Yet in some cases they failed to ask for crucial details necessary to identify risks to the patient.

Other websites, hosted in Asia, Russia and Eastern Europe offered a range of drugs with serious side effects at the click of a button with no checks whatsoever.

According to unpublished figures compiled by the MHRA, 500 cases have been referred to UK regulators because sites were believed to be operating illegally, including sites selling counterfeit drugs.  In more than 400 of the cases the websites were found to be hosted abroad, beyond the reach of British prosecutors.

Many offered pills known to carry serious risks, such as the slimming drug Accomplia, which was taken off the shelves of British pharmacies last October after regulators ruled that its risks, including that of serious psychiatric disorders, outweighed any benefits.

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World IP Day 2009

As designated by the World Intellectual Property Organization, April 26th is World IP Day…  Each year, WIPO and its Member States celebrate World Intellectual Property Day with activities geared towards increasing public understanding of what IP really means, and to demonstrate how the IP system fosters not only music, arts and entertainments, but also all the products and technological innovations that help to shape our world.

Some of the events and activities being organized by member states and organizations include:

Brazil
To celebrate the Day, the Faculdade Autonomo de Direito (FADISP) or Law Faculty at the University of São Paolo is organizing a full day of events at the Auditorium of FADISP, Rua João Moura 313, São Paulo, on April 27. In the morning, beginning at 9.30 a.m., the public will be invited to a discussion led by a panel of experts, who will speak on the fight against piracy: the experts will include academics in the field, appropriate Government officials and legal practitioners.  More information can be found at: www.fadisp.com.br

Finland
World IP Day is to be celebrated for four days, from 21 to 24 April.  The theme for 2009 is ‘Recovery through Innovation,’ which is very topical in the current economic situation. The goal is, in accordance with the Finnish Innovation Strategy, to challenge all Finns to revise their thinking and to innovate.

Guatemala

• celebration of the cooperation agreement between the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and the Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual, which will initiate a project of empowerment in IP, emphasizing patents and exchange of information, aimed at students, researchers and University teachers; and
• a cooperation agreement between the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONCYT), the Secretaria de Ciencia y Tecnología (SENACYT) and the Registro de la Propiedad Intelectual, which supports activities connected with innovation and which is aimed at young people.

India
The Confederation of Indian Industry, in partnership with the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, will host celebrations in New Delhi on Sunday, April 26, 2009, with a National Seminar. The event will showcase India’s IPR initiatives and achievements, and recognize and reward inventors across the country for their contributions towards harnessing the intellectual capital of the country. Leaders from Indian industry and research will come together to engage with the general public on IP issues, highlighting the benefits of the system, and the role it plays in the growth and prosperity of the country.

Russian Federation
To celebrate World Intellectual Property Day, activities have been planned including:

• a series of regional seminars on IPR protection and enforcement; and
• events around IP issues within the framework of a Forum 2009 entitled “Intellectual Property—X XI Century” in Moscow and in the regions of Russia.

United Kingdom
To celebrate World IP Day 2009, the Intellectual Property Office is:

• hosting an Intellectual Property Celebration at the Science Museum in London for IP stakeholders on April 22, with attendance by invitation only;
• organizing an internal seminar on the theme of “Exploitation of IP University/Industry Research Projects” on April 24, with guest speakers from the academic and business communities; and
• offering Business Advice Open Day which is the largest, cross government business support road show of its kind, dedicated to providing free information and support to businesses, to be held in Maidstone on April 30.

Other World IP Day events

World Malaria Day – recognizing health progress and ongoing challenges

 World Malaria Day  (April 25) is a day of unified commemoration of the global effort to provide effective control of malaria around the world.  This year’s World Malaria Day marks a critical moment in time.  The international malaria community has merely two years to meet the 2010 targets of delivering effective and affordable protection and treatment to all people at risk of malaria, as called for by the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

Thanks to efforts from governments, international organizations, the pharmaceutical industry, research institutions, foundations and others concerned with improving global public health, significant health improvements have been made in many countries. 

In Zambia, malaria deaths reported from health facilities have declined by 66%. This result along with other supporting data indicates that Zambia has reached the 2010 Roll Back Malaria target of a more than 50% reduction in malaria mortality compared to 2000.

The decline in deaths resulting from malaria was especially steep after 3.6 million long-lasting insecticidal nets were distributed between 2006 and 2008. During this period, malaria deaths declined 47% and nationwide surveys showed parasite prevalence declined 53% (from 21.8% to 10.2%) and the percentage of children with severe anaemia declined 68% (from 13.3% to 4.3%). Most moderate and severe anaemia in children is caused by malaria.

Rwanda, United Republic of Tanzania, and Sao Tome and Principe are the other African countries who have achieved major reductions in malaria mortality through accelerated malaria control activities.

Source: Global Malaria Action Plan

Despite health improvements that have been made, signifiicant efforts are still required to reduce the prevalence of malaria.  Reducing the impact of malaria would significantly propel efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, agreed by every United Nations member state. These include not only the goal of combating the disease itself, but also goals related to women’s and children’s rights and health, access to education and the reduction of extreme poverty.

GPs warn on internet drug sales

BBC News reported that  one in four general practitioners in Britain said they had treated patients for adverse reactions to medicines bought online.  A further 8% suspected they had treated side-effects of internet-bought drugs, the snapshot survey of 420 doctors carried out by GP magazine found.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, a GP in west London and spokeswoman for the Royal College of GPs, commented that “Surveys looking at many online medications suggest that the proportion of counterfeits is enormously high and that many of them contain very worrying ingredients.”

David Pruce, director of policy at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society stated that “anyone who self medicates and buys their medicines from internet sites could be in danger of receiving counterfeit or substandard medicines.

“At best these will be a waste of money, at worst they can kill.”

New Partnership aims to deliver affordable, effective malaria drugs to the poor

A new international partnership, backed by the United Nations, hopes to put affordable malaria drugs within reach of millions of people, especially children, in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

The rationale behind The Affordable Medicines Facility for malaria, as the new initiative is known, will be to reduce the price of effective new therapies (artemisinin combination therapies or ACTs) “so they can drive older, ineffective drugs out of the market”.

Prices of ACTs will be reduced from $6-$10 per treatment to between $0.20–$0.50 by a combination of reduced production prices by the pharmaceutical companies in exchange for “increased and predictable demand and a subsidy funded by international donors”. The scheme will initially be offered to 11 countries (Benin, Cambodia, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda) and after two years, a decision will be taken on whether to expand it globally.

According to a NY Times article, the non-governmental organization Doctors Without Borders endorsed the subsidy plan for combination pills but also said it “jeopardized the future” by also permitting subsidies for two-drug blister packs.

The initiative was developed through Roll-Back Malaria – a broad partnership of public and private institutions that includes the Global Fund along with the World Bank, the UN Children’s Fund, the Dutch Government, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Foundation.

China to strengthen protection of intellectual property rights

Protection of intellectual property rights is necessary not only for economic development and country-to-country exchanges, but is also a matter of respecting the value of people’s work, stated Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Wen was speaking yesterday in a meeting with Francis Gurry, director-general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).  Premier Wen also said his government would increase efforts to protect intellectual property rights (IPR).  The Chinese government will continue to implement their IPR strategy to promote scientific innovation, economic growth, cultural prosperity and social progress, he said.

Gurry spoke highly of China’s big progress in IPR protection and said the WIPO would work with China to contribute to the global IPR protection efforts.

Read more in an article from the Xinhua News Agency.