What’s wrong with current system of funding R&D, and what are ideas for reforms?

I was recently asked by OSF to write a two page document that described “what was wrong with the current system of funding R&D?” and to offer some “important ideas for change.” This was my two page submission.


What is wrong with the current system for funding R&D? What are the most important ideas for change?
(In two pages, for OSF meeting on drug development)

James Love
October 20, 2015

1. What is wrong with the current system for funding R&D?

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US, AU and CA try to block WTO LDC drug patent waiver because PhRMA’s not happy enough with the TPP

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) meet this week in Geneva (15 October 2015 – 16 October 2015) to decide if the poorest countries on earth are exempt from WTO rules for pharmaceutical patents. The WTO’s TRIPS Council is expected to make a decision in respect of the request of the LDC Group’s request for indefinite exemption from TRIPS obligations on pharmaceutical patents. Continue Reading

Press Release: Coalition for Affordable T-DM1 Asks UK Government to grant compulsory licenses on Roche breast cancer drug

Press Release: Coalition for Affordable T-DM1 Asks the UK Government to Employ Crown Use Authority to Lower Price of Expensive Cancer Drug sold by Roche

CONTACT:

Diarmaid McDonald
email: accessdiarmaid@gmail.com
+44.7894.4557.81

Susannah Markandya
email: s.markandya@gmail.com
+44.7811.9573.12

Zack Struver
email: zack.struver@keionline.org
Cell: +1.914.582.1428
Office: +1.202.332.2670 (between 2:00 PM and 10:00 PM BST)

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Senator Bernie Sanders proposal to expand Veterans access to patented medical inventions

This is a video by Zack Struver about Senator Bernie Sander’s proposal to expand Veterans access to patented medical inventions. The video discusses both the proposal by Senator Sanders to give the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs the authority to use compulsory licenses on patents on medical inventions, including drugs, and the history of “government use” provisions in current U.S. statutes, including 28 U.S.C. 1498, which Sanders proposes modifying.

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Sanders offers amendment to create compulsory licenses on medical inventions, for veterans

On Wednesday, July 22, 2015, the Senate Veterans Committee held a mark-up to consider several bills. During the mark-up, Senator Sanders offered an amendment, attached below, that would create a compulsory license mechanism in the Department of Veterans Affairs, for patents on medical inventions. (See amendment text below). The motivation for the amendment was a crisis in the VA involving access to drugs for the hepatitis C virus (HCV).

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Two page summary: What does the TPP do as regards prices of drugs and other medical technologies?

Attached is a 2 page summary of the main provisions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) that will lead to higher prices for drugs and other medical technologies.

A pdf version of the note is available here: /wp-content/uploads/KEI-TPP-Briefing-2015-2-A2M.pdf


What does the TPP do as regards prices of drugs and other medical technologies?

KEI TPP Briefing note 2015:2
June 10, 2015

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