General Assembly 2016 – Opening Statement of Bangladesh on behalf of the LDC Group
On Monday, 3 October 2016, Bangladesh delivered the following opening statement on behalf of the LDC Group at the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) General Assembly.
General Statement on behalf of the LDC Group at the 56th Session of the Assemblies of the Member states of WIPO
[3 October 2016]
Delivered by Ambassador H.E. Mr. M Shameem Ahsan,
Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations
( Suggested time: 5 minutes)Mr. President,
Director General,
Distinguished representatives,
Good morning.Differences between the march-in, royalty free right, and government use options
I wanted to post a brief note about three separate mechanism to overcome patent monopolies in current US law. All are useful, in the right context, and all have some limits.
1. The Bayh-Dole March-In rights under 35 U.S.C. 203, as defined by 35 U.S.C. 201(f).
National Association of Manufacturers told USTR the EU position on LDC extension made a mockery of international trading system
On September 10, 2015, the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), wrote to USTR expressing alarm at the European Union support of an indefinite extension of a WTO waiver of obligations to grant patents on pharmaceuticals for UN defined least developed countries (LDCs). In 2015, there were 954 million persons living in LDCs, with a per capita income of $964, according to the World Bank. The EU had aligned itself with health advocates trying to protect the bottom billion access to life saving medicines.
Summary of Report of United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines
On September 14, 2016, the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines released its report, in which they had a mandate to “review and assess proposals and recommend solutions for remedying the policy incoherence between the justifiable rights of inventors, international human rights law, trade rules and public health in the context of health technologies.”[1]
Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel Does Not Address Pricing, Alternative Funding Models
On September 7, 2016, the National Cancer Advisory Board Blue Ribbon Panel issued a draft report with recommendations directed to the Cancer Moonshot Task Force.
The draft included 10 interesting and useful recommendations (see A – J) related to cancer research, but none to address the pricing or affordability of products. Continue Reading
KEI Briefing Note 2016:2: 2015-2016 Pharmaceutical Transparency Legislation
The attached briefing note analyzes transparency legislation that has been proposed in 14 states in 2015 and 2016. The bills would require various degrees of transparency for research and development (R&D) and marketing costs, as well as for drug prices and price changes.
Continue ReadingBloomberg: CVS Will Exclude Xtandi From Formulary in 2017
Bloomberg reported on August 2, 2016, that CVS Health announced that it plans to exclude 35 drugs from its formulary beginning in 2017, including Xtandi, bringing the total number of excluded drugs to 131.
SCP24:WIPO patent committee adopts robust work program on patents and health, limitations and exceptions and quality of patents
On 30 June 2016, the 24th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed to an ambitious work program on patents and health, exceptions and limitations to patent rights, quality of patents, transfer of technology and confidentiality of communications between clients and their patent advisors.
On patents and health, the Committee agreed to the following:
Human Rights Council adopts watershed resolution on Access to Medicines
*(The author thanks Mirza Alas and Alexandre Gajardo for their notes of the 2nd round of informal consultations held on 22 June 2016 and Sophia Simon for transcribing the statements delegations made during the plenary discussions held on 1 July 2016.)
SCP 24 – A fruitful discussion?
30 June 2016
By Sophia Simon
The World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) plays a significant role as the United Nation’s only dedicated, multilateral forum for the discussion on patents. The WIPO SCP convened for its 24th session in Geneva from 27 June 2016 to 30 June 2016.