I spent a bit of time to look at the contributions from selected drug and medical device Political Action Committees (PACs) to the 28 House Democrats who voted for fast track on June 18, 2015. Continue Reading
We just received a reply from a September 17, 2013 FOIA request KEI filed with USTR, asking for correspondence involving General Electric’s efforts to block the WIPO Treaty for the Blind. USTR provided 24 pages of documents, available here:
Norway delivered the following statement on non-violation and situation complaints at the June 2015 meeting of the WTO TRIPS Council.
As deliveredTRIPS COUNCIL MEETING 9 AND 10 JUNE 2015
6. NON-VIOLATION AND SITUATION COMPLAINTS
Statement by Norway
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- We would like to join the overwhelming majority of members that have intervened today.
TRIPS Council June 2015: Norway provides unequivocal support of LDC Group request for extension of the transition period
On Wednesday, 10 June 2015, Norway – a high-income member of the WTO with a GDP per capita of 100,898 USD- (Source: World Bank, 2013) delivered this powerful intervention supporting the LDC Group request for an extension of the transition period for pharmaceutical products. On the LDC Group’s specific request on extension until graduation, Norway said,
Harvey Bale, former Director General of IFPMA, says Fast Track “favors the powerful over the weak”
Following the Friday vote in the House of Representatives which effectively blocked movement (for now) on the Trade Promotion Authority, and more generally, slowed down the TransPacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, I was contacted by Dr. Harvey Bale, the well known former Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA). In an exchange on Facebook, Dr. Bale took favorable note of the outcome on fast track, and described the vote against fast track as “A very good day, Indeed.” I asked Dr. Continue Reading
WTO TRIPS Council (June 2015): India underscores the importance of de-linkage in discussions of financing innovation
In discussions at the June 2015 WTO TRIPS Council on the role of intellectual property in financing innovation, India underscored its commitment to the principle of de-linkage by stating,
Innovation should not be viewed within the narrow prism of intellectual property monopolies but framed within a holistic, knowledge ecosystem that includes open innovation, open knowledge approaches and de-linkage of R&D costs from product prices
WTO TRIPS Council (June 2015): India’s statement on Non-Violation and Situational Complaints
On Tuesday, 9 June 2015, India delivered the following statement on Non-Violation and Situational Complaints (IP/C/W/385/Rev 1). Brazil introduced the paper along with 16 other WTO members including India. The 17 co-sponsors of this paper include Argentina, Plurinational State of Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Peru, Russian Federation, Sri Lanka and Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
The joint submission proposes the following action item for the Nairobi Ministerial from 15 December 2015 to 18 December 2015:
Duke letter to White House on the problems with the TPP IP Chapter
Attached below is a May 20, 2015 letter from Duke researchers to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, setting our problems in the TPP IP Chapter. The letter is signed by Jason Cross, the Director of the Innovation & Technology Policy Lab (ITPLab) at the Sanford School of Public Policy & Duke Law School, at Duke University.
The whole letter (available in PDF format here) is worth reading. Here are a few sections from the letter:
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
Continue ReadingWTO TRIPS Council (June 2015): LDC Group Presentation on the Extension of the Decision for Pharmaceutical Products
The LDC Group delivered the following statement on Wednesday, 8 June 2015 during WTO TRIPS Council discussions on their request on the extension of the decision on pharmaceutical products.
PRESENTATION BY THE LDCS GROUP TO THE TRIPS COUNCIL ON THE EXTENSION OF THE DECISION ON PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS, 09-10 JUNE 2015Mr. Chairman,
I make this presentation on behalf of the LDCs group. We thank you for calling this meeting and for your report.