Medical Research and Development

The following are some areas of KEI research, analysis and advocacy as regards medical research and development. More details will be added later.

Costs of development of new drugs

Reform of Incentives to Stimulate R&D

KEI provides evaluation of various incentive measures, and proposes a variety of reforms, including but not limited to those that de-link R&D costs from product prices.

De-linkage of R&D costs from product prices.

This is an important and core policy proposal and political demand. Some of the specific mechanisms to implement de-linkage follow.

The World Heath Organization negotiations on a new medical R&D treaty

The debate at the 65th World Health Assembly, under Agenda item 13.14

The 65th WHA took up the Report of WHO’s Consultative Expert Working Group (CEWG), which included as its most important recommendations, that WHO begin negotiations on a binding WHO Convention on financing R&D, and that the financing be tied to open knowledge approaches and the de-linkage of R&D costs and product prices.

Press coverage and commentary

May 31, 2012. Gozde Zorlu, WHO to continue talks on major reforms to health R&D, SciDev.Net.
May 30, 2012. Sangeeta Shashikant, Member States to discuss Expert recommendations on health R&D. TWN Info Service on Intellectual Property Issues (May12/01).
May 29, 2012. Zach Carter, Trade Deals For Cheap Drugs In Developing Nations Stalled By U.S., Huffington Post.
May 29, 2012. Officials At WHA Fail To Agree On Convention To Encourage R&D Into Health Issues In Developing Countries, Tuesday, Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report.
May 29, 2012, Roger Collier, Binding R&D convention put on hold, Canadian Medical Association Journal. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.109-4216
May 28, 2012. Anne Gulland, Plan to stimulate research in developing countries is put on hold, BMJ 2012; 344 doi: 10.1136/bmj.e3771.
May 28, 2012. Par Editorial. Le rude combat contre les maladies “négligées”, Le Monde.
May 28, 2012. Por Gustavo Capdevila, Logro de Unasur en atención a enfermedades desatendidas, IPS
May 27, 2012. Agathe Duparc, Les pays en développement imposent une négociation sur la recherche médicale, Le Monde
May 26, 2012. AFP WHO agrees to address research on neglected diseases, Yahoo News, France 24, and other outlets.
May 25, 2012. Zach Carter, Obama Administration Blocks Global Health Fund To Fight Disease In Developing Nations, Huffington Post.
May 25, 2012. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Analysis: Remedying global health R&D’, IRIN.
May 24, 2012. Par Agathe Duparc (Genève, Suisse, correspondance) Une taxe pour s’attaquer aux maladies “négligées”, Le Monde.
May 24, 2012. IP, Innovation, R&D Take Centre Stage as World Health Assembly Kicks Off, Bridges Weekly.
May 22, 2012. William New, WHO Members To Address Proposals For Financing Developing Country R&D, IP-Watch.
May 22, 2012. William New. Nobel Laureate, Other Experts Hail WHO Effort On Medicines R&D Framework, IP-Watch.
May 18, 2012. Joseph E. Stiglitz, A Breakthrough Opportunity for Global Health, Project Syndicate.
May 15, 2012. Moon S, Bermudez J, ‘t Hoen E, Innovation and Access to Medicines for Neglected Populations: Could a Treaty Address a Broken Pharmaceutical R&D System? PLoS Med 9(5): e1001218. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001218
May 15, 2012. Røttingen J-A, Chamas C, A New Deal for Global Health R&D? The Recommendations of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development (CEWG). PLoS Med 9(5): e1001219. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001219
April 20, 2012. David Dickson, We need a global treaty on health research for the poor, SciDev.Net

NGO commentary

KEI Commentary

May 26, 2012. KEI Statement on WHA resolution on Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing an Coordination
May 26, 2012. WHA 65 agrees to way forward on CEWG Report, resolution is approved in Committee A
May 25, 2012. The US role in the R&D negotiations
May 24, 2012. The WHA negotiations so far, on R&D financing
May 24, 2012. EU Statement at World Health Assembly on Consultative Expert Working Group Report
May 23, 2012. US intervention at World Health Assembly on the CEWG on R&D financing and coordination
May 23, 2012. Obligations to fund R&D, under CEWG recommendation
May 19, 2012. Kenyan resolution to the 65th World Health Assembly: WHO Convention on Research and Development Financing and Coordination
May 4, 2012. Is the WHO CEWG proposal for the R&D treaty “too small”?

Health Action International

May 25, 2012. Tessel Mellema. Press Release: EU and U.S. negotiators block broad support of low and middle income countries to move towards binding health and development R&D convention
May 16, 2012. HAI/Alianza Policy Brief: A binding biomedical R&D convention: a structural solution for systemic failure

The People’s Health Movement

May 26, 2012. 65th WHA: Joint Statement of People’s Health Movement on R&D Coordination and Financing

MSF

TWN

Universities Allied for Essential Medicine (UAEM).

May 26, 2012. Press Release. At WHA, Students Urge U.S., Europe To Show Global Leadership On Neglected Health Needs: Universities Allied for Essential Medicines disappointed by weathy nations’ obstruction of new medical research investments

DNDi

May 27, 2012. Press Release: DNDi Pleased that Member States Agree on Way Forward to Strengthen Financing & Coordination of R&D for Health Needs of Developing Countries

The Use of Innovation Inducement Prizes to stimulate medical R&D

For more on this, see: https://www.keionline.org/prizes