On Friday March 12, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding the “Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License: Engineered Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes for Cancer Therapy” (86 FR 11548). The technology is… Continue Reading
On March 11th 2021, Biolyse Pharma (“Biolyse”) issued a statement publicly indicating their capacity to manufacture a COVID-19 vaccine and their intent to apply for a compulsory license in Canada. Biolyse is a Canadian manufacturer of cancer drugs based out… Continue Reading
(Update: The NIH provided responses to our comments on April 5, 2021 – 86 FR 10092 Response and 86 FR 10081 Response) On Friday March 5, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted comments to the National Institute of Health (NIH)… Continue Reading
On 10 March 2021, the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) TRIPS Council addressed the proposal for a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 (IP/C/W/669) under agenda item 12. This proposal is… Continue Reading
Whilst TRIPS Council deliberations in 2020 witnessed some lively deliberations on the nature of legislative amendments to Hungary’ special legal order (State of Danger) to enable the provision of a “compulsory licence regime for public health purposes”, Hungary’s recent decision… Continue Reading
On Friday, March 5, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted written responses to questions from USTR on Special 301. The pdf version of KEI’s written submission can be found here.
On February 25, 2021, the intellectual property office in Ecuador granted a compulsory license over a patent directed to the raltegravir active ingredient. Raltegravir, commonly marketed under the brand name Isentress, is used to treat HIV infections. The licensed patent… Continue Reading
On March 1, 2021, KEI obtained a copy of the binding term sheet between Pfizer/BioNTech and the Dominican Republic for the supply of their COVID-19 vaccine in the country. The document, requested via the freedom of information law in the… Continue Reading
On March 1, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) sent a letter to Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the new Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the WTO’s COVID-19 response. In the letter, KEI urged Dr. Ngozi to fully step into… Continue Reading
On 23 February 2021, South Africa delivered two detailed statements at the WTO TRIPS Council’s most recent deliberations on a waiver from certain provisions of the TRIPS Agreement for the prevention, containment and treatment of COVID-19 (IP/C/W/669). South Africa did… Continue Reading