SCP25: Statement of Asia Pacific Group on Patents and Health

On Tuesday, 13 December 2016, India delivered the following statement on behalf of the Asia and the Pacific Group during WIPO discussions on patents and health.

Statement by India on behalf of the Asia and the Pacific Group on the Agenda Item – Patents and Health – delivered by Dr. Sumit Seth, First Secretary (Economic Affairs) on 13 December 2016

Madam Chair,

India has the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Asia Pacific Group. The group would like to make 3 concrete points related to this agenda item

One, the United Nations Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access to Medicines has specifically explored the policy incoherence between IP, trade and human rights and has made a number of recommendations in this regard. Some of these recommendations are specifically addressed to WIPO and are directly relevant to the subject of the sharing session under this agenda item on ‘patents and health’ in the SCP. Hence, Asia Pacific Group would like to request the SCP to initiate this exploratory discussion based on this important report.

Two, this committee should ensure that the study on the constraints faced by developing countries and LDCs in making full use of patent flexibilities and their impacts on access to affordable especially essential medicines in developing countries and LDCs must involve the UNDP which facilitated the UN High Level Panel Report.

Lastly, our group would also like the Secretariat to revise the feasibility study and address the question about feasibility of disclosure of INNs – International Non-proprietary Names in patent applications specifically where the INN is known to the applicant.

We hope that this committee will give careful consideration to these three proposals from the Asia Pacific Group.

With these words, I thank you Madam Chair.