In preparation for the 68th World Health Assembly, to be convened in Geneva from 18 May 2015 to 26 May 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) prepared a document (A68/INF./1, 1 May 2015), entitled “Annex to the Financial Report for the year ended 31 December 2014, Voluntary contributions by fund and by contributor). Continue Reading
On May 5, 2015, KEI sent a letter to the USPTO regarding the implementation of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances. The letter focuses on concerns that KEI and others have expressed that a treaty implementation by amendment of 17 U.S. Code § 1101, regarding the “Unauthorized fixation and trafficking in sound recordings and music videos,” creates problems, because the statute involves a right that is perpetual and not subject to normal copyright exceptions. Continue Reading
Other KEI comments on NIH licenses are found here: /nih-licenses
Every year USTR issues a list of countries targeted to be subjected to trade pressures over their policies on intellectual property rights. This year’s list was published on April 30, 2015. KEI has a copy of every version of the Special 301 list here: https://www.keionline.org/ustr/special301
USTR describes the list as follows:
The Special 301 Process
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Today, KEI hosted the first talk in a series of seminars on drug pricing. The seminar, conducted via video conference, focused on the Canadian approach to drug pricing. Each seminar in the series is intended to contribute to the discussion on drug pricing and how we can improve affordability and access to medicines. Paul Grootendorst began with a presentation (the slides are available here), before opening up the discussion to questions from those participating in the video conference.
Yesterday, under intense pressure from the powerful pharmaceutical industry lobby, California Assembly Member Dan Chiu withheld bill AB 463, the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015. A vote on the bill had already been postponed for a week in order to allow Assembly Member Chiu more time to address various concerns raised by colleagues in the Health Committee. Continue Reading
During the debate of California bill AB 463, on the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015, Kassy Perry was using Twitter to attack the bill, posting links to and repeating pharmaceutical industry talking points. Who is Kassy Perry? A founder of Perry Communications, a Sacramento public relations and lobbying firm. This is her Twitter profile:
In addition to the numerous groups and institutions that stood in support of AB 463 (Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015) at the California Assembly Health Committee hearing on April 21st, six civil society groups that we are aware of have submitted letters or statements in support of the bill.
In alphabetical order, these include:
1. American Medical Students Association (AMSA)
2. National Council of Asian Pacific Islander Physicians (NCAPIP)
3. National Physicians Alliance (NPA)
4. Public Citizen
5. Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM)
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Yesterday (April 21,2015) the California Assembly held a Health Committee hearing to discuss various bills being offered, including Assembly Member Dan Chiu’s AB 463, titled the Pharmaceutical Cost Transparency Act of 2015.
AB 463 calls for the pharmaceutical industry to annually report its costs for developing and manufacturing a drug (for any course of treatment over $10k). The bill seeks to provide audited information on R&D costs, a topic for which the industry often makes unsupported and exaggerated claims.
On Thursday, 30 April 2015, KEI will host the first talk in a series of seminars on drug pricing. The seminars will take place via video conference (hosted by KEI), and participation is welcome either by attending the presentation at KEI’s Washington, DC offices, or to the extent we are able, joining the digital conference.