WTO TRIPS Council: Brazil, China, Fiji, India, and South Africa table agenda item on IP and the Public Interest

On 31 May 2017, the delegations of Brazil, China, Fiji, India, and South Africa tabled a paper to the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) TRIPS Council 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. Brazil, China, Fiji, India, and South Africa proposed compulsory licensing as the first theme of IP and the Public Interest discussions at the TRIPS Council meeting in June 2017.

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WHO donors in 2016 (US, Gates Foundation, UK, GAVI Alliance, Japan): Setting the agenda for global public health?

In the run up to the 70th World Health Assembly (22 May 2017 – 31 May 2017), the World Health Organization prepared a document (A70/INF./4, 16 May 2017) entitled, Voluntary contributions by fund and by contributor, 2016. Total voluntary contributions to WHO in 2016 amounted to $1,717,219,177 which represented a dip from the 2015 figure of $1,836,970,206.

Here is a non-exhaustive list detailing the sources of voluntary contributions to WHO and the size of their respective contributions in 2016.

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WHA70: Statement of Portugal on the Global shortage of, and access to medicines and vaccines

Portugal delivered the following statement at the 70th World Health Assembly on agenda item, 13.3 – Global shortage of, and access to medicines and vaccines.

PortugalWHA70.png

In relation to the Report of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines (UNHLP), the delegation of Portugal quoted the intervention delivered by the Portuguese Minister of Health, Professor Campos Fernandes at the plenary of the 70th World Health Assembly.

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Rep. Jan Schakowsky Questions Dr. Anthony Fauci on Zika Vaccine Price at House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Hearing

On May 23, 2017, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., asked Dr. Anthony Fauci whether he believed the federal government should use “every tool” to ensure that Sanofi charges a fair price for a taxpayer-funded Zika vaccine that is being developed by the U.S. Army and funded by BARDA.

Dr. Fauci responded that he did not believe that the government had the “mechanisms” to guarantee an affordable price, even when the U.S. government and taxpayers have made a “major investment” in the development of a drug.

KEI has separately uploaded a short clip of the exchange between Rep. Schakowsky and Dr. Fauci:

Additional information on the Army-BARDA-Sanofi vaccine collaboration is available at /zika and /zika-timeline.

Video of the full hearing and copies of written testimony are available via the House Energy and Commerce Committee website: https://energycommerce.house.gov/hearings-and-votes/hearings/us-public-health-response-zika-virus-continuing-challenges.

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Berlin Declaration of the G20 Health Ministers

After at least eight rounds of negotiation, including two Geneva-based negotiations held on 12 May 2017 and 17 May 2017, the G20 Health Ministers meeting, convened in Berlin from 19-20 May 2017 issued the following declaration.

In relation to the R&D pipeline for developing new antimicrobial therapies, the G20 recognized “the importance of fostering R&D for new antimicrobials, alternative therapies, vaccines and rapid-point-of care diagnostics, in particular for priority pathogens as identified by WHO and for tuberculosis.”

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SCCR 32: IFLA on Orphan Works

>> IFLA: Thank you again Mr. Chair for allowing IFLA to take the floor. IFLA supports initiatives to support and make available cumulative knowledge and cultural heritage and recognize the role of libraries and archives in that respect. We further… Continue Reading

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SCCR 34 Discussions on Limitations and Exceptions for people with other disabilities

May 4, 2017 SCCR 34 Discussion on Limitations and Exceptions for people with other disabilities

If the final text of the Marrakesh Treaty had included Article 15(b) of the 1st version of the treaty negotiating text (SCCR/18/5) that would have clearly covered “other disabilities”, we would not have had the morning discussion.

Here is what had been drafted with the approval of an inclusive group of disabilities experts:

ARTICLE 15. DISABILITIES COVERED

(a) For the purposes of this Treaty, a ‘visually impaired’ person is:

a person who is blind; or
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