Update from the 62nd World Health Assembly

Live Twitter updates from the 62nd World Health Assembly:  www.twitter.com/patientspatents

The 62nd World Health Assembly opened yesterday (May 18, 2009) and much of the administrative details (election of the President, chairmans of the committees, adoption of the agenda, etc.).  Dr. Margaret Chan also addressed the Assembly.

The WHA was significantly shortened due to the H1N1 outbreak.  As a result, several important issues (including counterfeit medicines) were dropped from the agenda.  Some of the items of note scheduled to be discussed today are:

• Item 12.4 Primary health care, including health strengthening
• Item 12.5 Commission on the Social Determinants of health
• Item 12.6 Monitoring of the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals
• Item 12.8 Public health, innovation and intellectual property: global strategy and plan of action (to be continued and completed on Wednesday)

The updated programme of meetings is available on the UN site.  Not surprisingly, the schedule has already been pushed back by H1N1 discussions so item 12.8 will likely be discussed very late this evening if at all today.

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