Access to Medicine

Senate Armed Services Committee directive on use of Bayh-Dole rights for DoD funded drugs

Posted on by Kim Treanor

The report of the Senate Armed Services Committee on the National Defense Authorization Act of 2018, S. 1519, published July 10, 2017, includes a directive that links exclusive patent rights to the prices of drugs, vaccines and other medical technologies that are based upon DoD-funded inventions.

The text of the directive, approved unanimously by the full Senate Armed Services Committee, is as follows:

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SCP26 – Agreement reached on future work reached at WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (6 July 2017)

Posted on by Thiru

On Thursday afternoon, 6 July 2017, the 26th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), chaired by Ms. Bucura Ionescu (Romania) reached agreement on future work on the following issues: i) Exceptions and Limitations to Patent Rights, ii) Quality of Patents, including Opposition Systems, iii) Patents and Health, iv) Confidentiality of Communications between Clients and Their Patent Advisors and v) Transfer of Technology. Continue Reading →

2017: Senator Angus King amendment to National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on federally funded drugs, vaccines

Posted on by James Love

Angus_King,_official_portrait,_113th_Congress-800x.jpgSenator Angus King proposed an amendment to National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would require the Department of Defense (DoD) to authorize third parties to use inventions that benefited from DoD research funding, when prices exceed the median price charge in the seven largest economies with per capita incomes at least half the per capita income in the United States.

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SCP26: Statement of Knowledge Ecology International on Patents and Health (July 4th, 2017)

Posted on by Thiru

On July 4th, 2017, Andrew Goldman delivered Knowledge Ecology International’s intervention on patents at health at the 26th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP).

KEI Statement on Patents and Health
WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents – 26th Session

July 4th, 2017

Since the African Group and Development Agenda Group first tabled their proposal on a work program on patents and health in May 2011, much has happened.

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Brussels Principles on Medication Sales over the Internet

Posted on by Andrew Goldman

On March 31st, KEI joined Prescription Justice, EFF, and Public Citizen at RightsCon 2017 to discuss the issues of sales of medication over the Internet. I was in attendance on KEI’s behalf; Gabe Levitt represented Prescription Justice; Jeremy Malcolm presented for EFF; and Burcu Kilic was there for Public Citizen. It was one of the few panels at RightsCon dedicated to medicines/health.

After the session, the panelists convened to draft an agreement on a series of overarching principles that may help guide policy and shape the conversation.

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Save The Date – 5 July 2017 – KEI side event @ WIPO SCP 26 – Compulsory licensing of patents in the United States

Posted on by Thiru

Knowledge Ecology International: Compulsory licensing of patents in the United States
DATE: Wednesday, 5 July 2017
TIME: 1 PM to 3 PM
VENUE: Room NB0.107, World Intellectual Property Organization

Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) cordially invites you to attend our side event during deliberations at the Twenty-Sixth Session of Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

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HRC35: Human Rights Council adopts Right to Health Resolution

Posted on by Thiru

The United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) convened its 35th session from 6 June 2017 to 23 June 2017. During HRC35 (which took place in Room XX of the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva), a group of 21 countries tabled a resolution entitled, “The right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”. Continue Reading →

June 2017 – WTO TRIPS Council – Statement of Brazil on IP and the Public Interest – Compulsory Licensing

Posted on by Thiru

As reported by Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), on 6 June 2017, the World Trade Organization (WTO), published a paper tabled by Brazil, China, Fiji, India, and South Africa, entitled “Intellectual Property and the Public Interest.” In their communication (IP/C/W/630), the proponents called for a series of discussions at the WTO TRIPS Council on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest. Continue Reading →