On January 15, 2018, PhRMA provided comments on the Colombian Resolution 5246, a public interest declaration for several drugs for the hepatitis c virus (HCV). A copy of the PhRMA letter is attached below. It is a combination of complaints… Continue Reading
In November 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report charting a path forward for the expansion of WHO’s work on the transparency of R&D costs and medicines prices while rekindling the prospects for WHO to assume the mantle of… Continue Reading
For more information, contact: (U.S.) James Love, KEI: james.love@keionline.org or +1 (202) 332-2670 (Chile) Luis Villaroel, Innovarte: info@innovarte.cl or +56 9 9827 9673 Chile FAQ What is happening in Chile with regard to HCV medicines and Xtandi, for prostate cancer?… Continue Reading
(More on government funded inventions here. Other KEI comments on NIH licenses are found here.) Background: The National Institutes of Health has proposed giving an exclusive license for multiple Zika vaccine candidates to PaxVax, a company with close ties to the federal… Continue Reading
KEI has submitted an amicus brief in support of Respondents in the case of Oil States Energy Services, LLC, v. Greene’s Energy Group, LLC, currently before the Supreme Court. The brief is attached here.
On 20 October 2017, South Africa delivered the following statement on behalf of Brazil, China, India, and South Africa during the WTO TRIPS Council’s discussions on compulsory licensing. On 31 May 2017, these delegations (along with Fiji) submitted a proposal to the TRIPS Council on “Intellectual Property and the Public Interest” which would serve as an overarching theme for the Council to address issues including access to knowledge and access to medicines. Continue Reading
On October 13, 2017, KEI submitted comments to the WHO regarding the Draft Concept Note towards the WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work. The Draft Concept Note is available here: http://www.who.int/about/draft-concept-note_13th-programme-work.pdf
The text of KEI’s comments follow below, and a PDF is available here.
Friday, 13 October 2017
Dear Dr. Tedros,
This was delivered the afternoon on October 3, 2017.
Opening statement of Knowledge Ecology International – WIPO General Assembly 2017
Thank you, Mr. Vice President.
KEI notes the controversies around the world regarding the costs and benefits of intellectual property policies, including in particular extended terms of copyright protection in some countries, access to copyrighted works out of commerce and in teaching and research, and the role of patents in both promoting and discouraging innovation, and creating barriers to access medicine.
KEI statement regarding Gilead’s Acquisition of Kite Pharma.
“Congress should require the NIH to enforce the Bayh-Dole obligation to make the Kite Pharma Chimeric Antigen Receptors Technologies (CAR T) treatments available to the public on reasonable terms.
KEI notes that Kite reported spending $317 million in R&D from 2012 to June 30, 2017, and is selling the company for $11.9 billion.
On August 8, 2017, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted comments on the proposed grant of an exclusive license from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to Salubris Biotherapuetics, Inc, a corporation headquartered in Guangdong, China, for an important new technology that could be used Continue Reading