New drug being tested in Africa for river blindness

The World Health Organization reports that a clinical trial is being launched in three African countries of a drug that could eliminate onchocerciasis, or river blindness, one of the leading infectious causes of blindness across Africa. The drug, moxidectin, is being investigated for its potential to kill or sterilize the adult worms of Onchocerca volvulus, [...]

HIV vaccine close to human trial

Researchers at the University of Western Ontario say they’re confident their HIV vaccine is only months away from being approved for human trials.
According to a report by the National Post, lead researcher Dr. Chil-Yong Kang said the approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can come as soon as two or three months.
The vaccine [...]

Drug development for TB: an innovative collaboration

A landmark collaboration could see the development of the first new-action tuberculosis drug in 40 years.  Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit, product development partnership, and Tibotec, a Johnson & Johnson company, have joined forces to focus on the development of the new experimental drug TMC207.
Forbes reports that if the drug [...]

GAVI announces innovative approach to developing vaccines for developing nations

At the end of last week, the GAVI Alliance partners (the World Bank, WHO and UNICEF), five national governments and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation formally announced the first-ever Advance Market Commitment (AMC) designed to accelerate access to vaccines against pneumococcal disease.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the $1.5 billion program marks a departure [...]

Update from the World Health Assembly – May 20

Live Twitter updates from the 62nd World Health Assembly:  www.twitter.com/patientspatents
Discussions on issues of public health and innovation have been further delayed.  They were to be discussed yesterday, but have been rescheduled for later today.  With other issues such as climate change, social determinants of health and pandemic influenza preparedness also on the agenda, it seems likely [...]

WHO and 30 vaccine manufacturers meet: commit to meeting public health needs re H1N1

WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon met with over 30 vaccine manufacturers from developing and developed countries at WHO headquarters yesterday.  Industry representatives affirmed their wish to cooperate in making supplies of any eventual vaccine for Influenza A(H1N1) available to developing countries, and said they stood ready to produce the [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Canadian researchers begin first phase of human trials in new TB vaccine; 11 other TB vaccines in various stages of research at facilities around the world

Tuberculosis, the world’s second deadliest infectious disease could finally meet its match in a new vaccine developed by researchers at McMaster University.  The new vaccine is at least five years away from broad use, if it can be shown to be safe, effective and practical to make and distribute — and if another team doesn’t [...]

The FDA and innovation

A well-run FDA is crucial to ensuring that Americans continue to get access to the best new therapies in a timely fashion.  Lengthy and costly approval periods–which average 10 years and $1 billion per product under consideration–raise important questions about whether the FDA is doing its part to make sure innovative new therapies can reach [...]