Yesterday (April 21,2015) the California Assembly held a Health Committee hearing to discuss various bills being offered, including Assembly Member Dan Chiu’s AB 463, titled the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015.
AB 463 calls for the pharmaceutical industry to annually report its costs for developing and manufacturing a drug (for any course of treatment over $10k). The bill seeks to provide audited information on R&D costs, a topic for which the industry often makes unsupported and exaggerated claims.
Continue Reading →
On Thursday, 30 April 2015, KEI will host the first talk in a series of seminars on drug pricing. The seminars will take place via video conference (hosted by KEI), and participation is welcome either by attending the presentation at KEI’s Washington, DC offices, or to the extent we are able, joining the digital conference.
Continue Reading →
Yesterday, Politico published this story:
Leaked digital single market’s ‘evidence file’ reveals Commission’s ambitions. Documents show policy came before evidence for cybersecurity measures.
By ZOYA SHEFTALOVICH 20/4/15, 1:29 PM CET Updated 21/4/15, 11:33 AM CET
(http://www.politico.eu/article/leaked-digital-single-market-strategy-evidence/)
Continue Reading →
The California Assembly Health Committee has published an analysis of AB463, the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015. The bill will be marked up by the committee on Tuesday (April 21). The analysis was written by Dharia McGrew. It recommends three amendments to the bill, and provides a discussion of the benefits of the required disclosures, with context, and describes the support and opposition. The staff report is attached, and below is a list of 33 groups supporting and 22 opposing the bill. Continue Reading →
This is a bill that will see legislative action next week in California, and the bill has some momentum. This is the first time I have seen any government make an effort to have useful data on the economics drug drug development and pricing, and it provides a model that other governments may want to built upon.
A mark-up on the bill has been scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, 2015, in the Assembly Health Committee.
BILL NUMBER: AB 463
INTRODUCED BILL TEXT
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chiu
FEBRUARY 23, 2015
Continue Reading →
2013. Manon Anne Ress. Global Public Goods, transnational public goods: some definitions : How are global public goods defined? Definitions of ‘global public goods’ as outlined by major contributors to the international debate. (html)
Manon’s 2013 collection of quotes is very relevant, but here are some additional definitions. The discussions by Musgrave and Steiner are probably closer to how people actually define public or social goods in practice.
On Wednesday, 11 March 2015, Farida Shaheed, the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights presented her seminal report on Copyright policy and the right to science and culture (A/HRC/28/57) at the 28th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Highlights from the report’s recommendations include the following:
Continue Reading →
As part of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) technical assistance and capacity building program, on Thursday, 26 February 2015, the WTO Secretariat convened a Symposium on the TRIPS Agreement for TRIPS Council Members and Observers which brought together negotiators from the 1986–94 Uruguay Round to discuss how the Round introduced intellectual property norms into the architecture of the multilateral trading system. In addition, other experts were brought in to discuss what has happened since the introduction of the TRIPS Agreement, and what augurs for the future.
The Uruguay Round- The Glory Years, Source: World Trade Organization |
Continue Reading →
At the February 24, 2015 USTR hearing on Special 301, KEI asked to provide supplemental comments on R&D for the record, and KEI was separately asked by USTR to provide comments on online pharmacies, and by DHHS to comment on the relationship between emergencies and compulsory licensing. (The KEI page on Special 301 is here: /ustr/special301).
Continue Reading →
At the February 24, 2015 USTR hearing on Special 301, KEI asked to provide supplemental comments on R&D for the record, and KEI was separately asked by USTR to provide comments on online pharmacies, and by DHHS to comment on the relationship between emergencies and compulsory licensing. (The KEI page on Special 301 is here: /ustr/special301).
Continue Reading →
