U.S. Department of State cables regarding Brazil and pharmaceutical patents and prices – 1986-1987

Background

Beginning in 1985, the United States government (USG) diplomatic and trade officials have engaged in wide ranging activities aimed at changing global norms for the protection of intellectual property rights, with a particular emphasis on the IPR protections for pharmaceutical products.

This note reports on U.S. Department of State cables sent in 1986 and 1987, that discussed the U.S. government efforts to change policies in Brazil on the intellectual property protection for pharmaceutical products. The cables have been obtained by KEI with a FOIA request.

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Agenda of 10th Round ACTA negotiations, August 16-20, Washington DC

USTR will host the next round of ACTA negotiations that will take place all of next week, August 16-20, in Washington DC. According to USTR yesterday, the negotiators “expect to cover all issues” and the agenda would be made available in a day or so.

Here is a proposed agenda that we have obtained from another source.

ANTI-COUNTERFEITING TRADE AGREEMENT (ACTA)
PROPOSED AGENDA
10th Round of Negotiations
August 16th-20th, 2010, Washington, DC

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ACTA’s Washington DC conclave: Is this Round 10?

According to an informed source, USTR intimated that next week’s ACTA meeting in Washington DC will be attended by all the negotiating parties and that discussions would include all issues under consideration in ACTA. We are still awaiting a response from USTR regarding the attendees, scope and purpose of the meeting but this new information seems to be indicative of nothing short of the next ACTA round.

Earlier, US government officials had informed that the an intersessional meeting would be held the week of 16 August in Washington DC.
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WHO releases names of experts and advisor to the Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

WHO has released the ‘List of Members of, and Advisor to, the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009‘ at the following site: http://www.who.int/ihr/emerg_comm_members_2009/en/. Of the 15 members and one advisor, 6 had declaration of interests. On this matter, WHO had the following statement:

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Sources for Researching Drug Prices

The following are links to web pages with prices of prescription drugs.

Australia
Schedule Pharmaceutical Benefits
http://www.pbs.gov.au/html/home page

Austria
The Common European Drug Database (CEDD)
http://cedd.oep.hu/

Bahrain
National Health Regulatory Authority
http://www.nhra.bh/SitePages/View.aspx?PageId=42

Belgium
Institut National D’Assurance Maladie-Invalidité Pharmanet
http://www.inami.fgov.be/fr/statistiques/medicament/Pages/statistiques-medicaments-pharmacies-pharmanet.aspx#.WaV_VSeQxQK
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The US Orphan Drug Tax Credit

From the FDA page on the Orphan Drug Tax Credit.

Incentives

TAX CREDIT
(See Footnote 1 below)
FOR TESTING EXPENSES FOR
DRUGS FOR RARE DISEASES OR CONDITIONS

Introduction
Section 45C of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 allows a credit against tax, up to 50 percent of certain clinical testing expenses related to the use of a drug for a rare disease or condition after it is designated as an orphan drug.

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ACTA briefing by De Gucht in the European Parliament

This week, the European Commission conducted two briefings for members of the European Parliament.

On Monday, July 12, members of the European Parliament’s INTA Committee (Committee on International Trade) were briefed by EU ACTA negotiators Luc Devigne and Pedro Valesco in a private, closed meeting.

Today, July 13, Karel De Gucht, EU Commissioner for Trade held a public briefing in the LIBE Committee (Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs). The video is now available here

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