German Court Issues Compulsory License on HIV Drug Patent
A German patent court has ordered a compulsory license under Section 24 of the Patent Act, allowing Merck (US) to continue to market the HIV drug raltegravir (marketed as Isentress).
Commentary on Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Respond to Unjustified Price Hikes for Long-Available Drugs
Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has published a factsheet presenting, “Hillary’s Plan to Respond to Unjustified Price Hikes for Long-Available Drugs.”
Today via Twitter, KEI Director James Love offered a six point commentary on Secretary Clinton’s proposal to address drug price hikes:
KEI Briefing Note 2016:2: 2015-2016 Pharmaceutical Transparency Legislation
The attached briefing note analyzes transparency legislation that has been proposed in 14 states in 2015 and 2016. The bills would require various degrees of transparency for research and development (R&D) and marketing costs, as well as for drug prices and price changes.
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US Army Rejects Request to Exercize March-in Rights in Prostate Cancer Drug Xtandi
On August 5, 2016, KEI received a response from the Department of the Army to KEI and UACT’s January 14, 2016 request that the Army and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) exercise the governments’ rights in the patents for… Continue Reading
Bloomberg: CVS Will Exclude Xtandi From Formulary in 2017
Bloomberg reported on August 2, 2016, that CVS Health announced that it plans to exclude 35 drugs from its formulary beginning in 2017, including Xtandi, bringing the total number of excluded drugs to 131.
Vivendi-SFR lobbyist nominated to WIPO
Vivendi-SFR lobbyist nominated to WIPO by Hervé Le Crosnier
On July 14, 2016, the former Vivendi-SFR lobbyist Sylvie Forbin was named Deputy Director General of the WIPO “Culture and Creative Industries Sector” (the World Intellectual Property Organization is a United Nations agency). Incidentally the new name of the Sector, “Copyright and Creative Industries,” is revealing of her future professional activities.
Harvoni & Sovaldi, Xtandi in Top 20 Costliest Medicare Drugs
The Associated Press recently released a chart from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Office of the Actuary that outlines spending for the top 20 costliest drugs to Medicare in 2015 after reaching Medicare’s catastrophic spending threshold: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/25/us/ap-us-medicare-pricey-drugs-glance.html.
UPDATE: The AP also released another story, on July 24, 2016, outlining the overall program costs of catastrophic spending and explaining various spending increases: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/24/us/politics/ap-us-medicare-pricey-drugs.html.
Letter from 56 non-profits and experts to Secretary of State John Kerry on pressure on global access to medicines initiatives
20 July 2016
For Immediate Release
Contacts
Knowledge Ecology International: Zack Struver, zack.struver@keionline.org, +1 (202) 332-2670
Public Citizen: Peter Maybarduk, pmaybarduk@citizen.org, +1 (202) 588-7755
Public Health, Human Rights, and Faith Organizations Question State Department Pressure Against Global Access to Medicines Initiatives
Evidence shows pattern of interference in national and international efforts to improve access to affordable medicines, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF USA), Knowledge Ecology International, Public Citizen, Oxfam, and other leading public interest groups.
Washington, DC — More than 50 public interest organizations and experts asked Secretary of State John Kerry today to explain evidence that the State Department recently pressured the United Nations and the governments of Colombia and India against taking action to improve access to affordable medicines, citing U.S. business interests and implying that relations with Washington would suffer.
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Francis Gurry appoints Sylvie Forbin, lobbyist for Vivendi, as new head of copyright at WIPO
as PDF.
SCP24:WIPO patent committee adopts robust work program on patents and health, limitations and exceptions and quality of patents
On 30 June 2016, the 24th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed to an ambitious work program on patents and health, exceptions and limitations to patent rights, quality of patents, transfer of technology and confidentiality of communications between clients and their patent advisors.
On patents and health, the Committee agreed to the following: