Prizes to stimulate innovation
Submitted by James Love on 12. August 2009 - 10:12
KEI has an interest in the general topic of prizes to stimulate innovation, with a special focus on the use of prizes to stimulate medical innovation. The work on medical innovation prizes covers proposals for both high- and lower-income markets, and proposals that target new medical knowledge, as well as product development.
News and recent commentary about innovation inducement prizes
On May 21, 2010, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to create a new consultative expert group on research and development. The resolution included, among other things, the following language:
KEI has an interest in the general topic of prizes to stimulate innovation, with a special focus on the use of prizes to stimulate medical innovation. The work on medical innovation prizes covers proposals for both high- and lower-income markets, and proposals that target new medical knowledge, as well as product development.
News and recent commentary about innovation inducement prizes
On May 21, 2010, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution to create a new consultative expert group on research and development. The resolution included, among other things, the following language:
Recognizing the need to further "explore and, where appropriate, promote a range of incentive schemes for research and development including addressing, where appropriate, the de-linkage of the costs of research and development and the price of health products, for example, through the award of prizes, with the objective of addressing diseases which disproportionately affect developing countres." (a footnote provides a reference to Document WHA61.21, Annex, element 5, paragraph 5.3a.)
May 24, 2010. Why is there resistance to prize funds?
Interview about Prizes
Eyes on the Prize: Incentivizing Drug Innovation without Monopolies, Multinational Monitor, MAY/JUN 2009, VOL 30 NO. 3
Recent KEI papers on innovation prizes:
2009. James Love and Tim Hubbard, "Prizes for Innovation of New Medicines and Vaccines," Annals of Health Law, Vol. 18, No 2, pages 155-186, Summer. April 11, 2008. James Love. "The Role of Prizes in Developing Low-Cost, Point-of-Care Rapid Diagnostic Tests and Better Drugs for Tuberculosis," MSF expert meeting on IGWG and R&D for tuberculosis.
March 26, 2008. James Love. "Prizes, not prices, to stimulate antibiotic R&D." SciDev.net.
November 28, 2007. James Love and Tim Hubbard. "The Big Idea: Prizes to Stimulate R&D for New Medicines." Chicago-Kent Law Review, Volume 82, Number 3 ( 2007).
November 12, 2007. James Love. "Would cash prizes promote cheap drugs?" The New Scientist.
Among the earlier discussion of prizes is the February 17, 2004 paper in PloS, A New Trade Framework for Global Healthcare R&D, which elaborates on "From TRIPS to RIPS: A better Trade Framework to support Innovation in Medical Technologies," Agence nationale de recherches sur le sida/Institute d’ économie publique, Workshop on Economic issues related to access to HIV/AIDS care in developing countries, Université de la Méditerranée, Marseille, France, May 27th, 2003.
KEI Report Detailing Examples of Innovation Inducement Prizes
March 7, 2008. Selected Innovation Prizes and Reward Programs, KEI Research Note 2008:1
More information on Innovation Prizes:
- Scholarly and Technical Articles and Books on Innovation Prizes (KEI Research Note 2008:2)
- News stories and blogs on innovation prizes
- KEI policy blogs on innovation prizes.
April 2009 Bangladesh/ Barbados/ Bolivia and Suriname proposals to the WHO EWG
- Chagas Disease
- Donor Supported Markets
- Biomedical R&D Treaty
- Diagnostic Test for Tuberculosis
- Cancer
April 2008 Barbados/Bolivia prize proposals to the WHO IGWG
US Debate on prizes to stimulate medical R&D
- On June 14, 2007, John Edwards issued a statement on medical innovation prizes. The sections of his health plan that deal with prizes are here. James Love made this comment on the Huffington Post: John Edwards: Prizes, Not Patent Monopolies. On November 14, 2007, the WSJ reported that Edwards is beginning to talk about prizes in his campaign appearances.
- On October 19, 2007, Senator Sanders introduced S.2210, the Medical Innovation Prize Fund Act of 2007 in the U.S. Senate. A description of the bill, links to the text, and views of 16 experts are available here, or as a four page pdf file here.
World Health Assembly on de-linking R&D incentives from prices of medicines, vaccines and diagnostic tests.
- In May 2007, the World Health Assembly passed resolution WHA60.30 on "Public Health, innovation and intellectual property." This requested the WHO Director General: "to encourage the development of proposals . . . that includes a range of incentive mechanisms including also addressing the linkage of the cost of research and development and the price of medicines, vaccines, diagnostic kits and other health-care products.. . . with the objective of addressing diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries. This is part of an important WHO debate on innovation and intellectual property rights.
- On 30 September 2007, KEI provided this comment to the World Health Organization (WHO) Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG) on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property Rights: The Role of Prizes in Stimulating R&D.
Recent workshops on prizes:
- January 16-17, 2009. KEI, HAI, MSF, Oxfam, UAEM & IQsensato Rountable on prizes for Type II & III diseases , Geneva.
- February 8, 2008. KEI & GWU Law School Workshop on Prizes , Washington, DC.
- January 28-29, 2008. KEI & UNU-MERIT Medical Prize Fund Workshop, Maastricht.
Misc Topics
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