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 [...]

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 [...]

World Health Assembly to be cut short due to swine flu

Earlier this week, the UN announced that the sixty-second World Health Assembly would be cut short due to global concerns about the spread of influenza A (H1N1) – swine flu.  Instead of the previously scheduled 10 day meeting (May 18-27), the WHA will be cut in half and will run from May 18-22, 2009.
Due to the [...]

Counterfeit Drugs: Definitions Matter, but Not as Much as Quality and Safety

 Dr. Kristina M. Lybecker
The safety and efficacy of medicines is something that most patients in developed countries take for granted.  Whether it’s a vaccination, prescription, or over the counter drug, most people assume that the medicines they’re getting are legitimate.  While bogus drugs are most frequently found in the most vulnerable markets – those of [...]

Report on the IGWG

The World Health Organization recently posted a news release stating that:
the <World> Health Assembly produced a public health breakthrough by providing a platform for removing barriers and using innovative methods to encourage research, development and access to medicines for the common diseases of the developing world.
The public health, innovation and intellectual property strategy endorsed by [...]

Resolution on counterfeit medicine

On May 20th a draft resolution on counterfeit medical products was submitted to the World Health Assembly by the nations of Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Tunisia and the United Arab Emirates.  As the WHA turns to the challenges surrounding counterfeit pharmaceuticals, it is valuable to reflect on the threat counterfeit drugs pose.  In particular, it is [...]

Overview of the IGWG draft plan

The WHO’s Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property will present their incomplete draft strategy at this week’s 61st World Health Assembly.
Unfortunately, unless you’re a lawyer or government policy analyst, it is difficult to understand what the real reccomendations are.  For everyone else, here is an easy to understand overview of the [...]

Outcomes from the Second Session of the IGWG

The World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG) met for the continuation of its second session in Geneva at the end of April.  While they didn’t achieve consensus on all elements of their draft plan, there were many areas of agreement.
Some of the points of consensus include:

Intellectual property [...]