WHO releases program of work and progress report in advance of Consultative Expert Working Group on R&D (2-4 May 2016)

Posted on by Thiru

The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening an open-ended meeting of member states on the Follow-up of the report of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG) in Geneva, Switzerland at WHO headquarters from 2 May 2016 to 4 May 2016. The WHO has published the provisional agenda, the proposed program of work and progress report. Continue Reading →

Letter to HHS and NIH regarding impact of high prices on cost effectiveness of Xtandi

Posted on by Andrew Goldman

KEI submitted the attached letter to Secretary Burwell and Director Collins in support of the KEI/UACT petition that asked the NIH (or the Army) to use the federal government rights in the patents on the prostate cancer drug Xtandi, to remedy the excessive and discriminatory price in the United States. The letter calls attention to findings of an article from the the Journal of Oncology Pharmacy Practice, in which the authors conclude that a reduction in price would make Xtandi the most-cost effective option.

The text of the letter follows:

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KEI comment on WIPO report on patents landscape for the WHO essential medicines list

Posted on by KEI Staff

This is a comment on the WIPO- commissioned report on the patent landscape for the WHO essential medicines list, published on April 11th, 2016. The report is titled: Patent-based Analysis of the World Health Organization’s 2013 Model List of Essential Medicines, by Reed F. Beall and Amir Attaran, both at the University of Ottawa, Canada. This is is the third collaboration between WIPO’s Thomas (Tom) Bombelles (Head, Global Health, WIPO) and Attaran on the same topic — the patenting of medicines in developing countries.

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CDIP 17: Asia Pacific and African Group raise concerns re: WIPO’s position on the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines

Posted on by Thiru

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is convening its 17th session of the Committee on Intellectual Property and Development (CDIP17) from 11 April 2016 to 15 April 2016. The mandate of the Committee is to “develop a work-program for implementing the 45 adopted Development Agenda recommendations” and “monitor, assess, discuss and report on the implementation of all recommendations adopted” (Source: WIPO page on the Committee on Development And Intellectual Property).

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