Korea FTA

Earlier this week, I met in Seoul with civil society fighting the Korus FTA. They are generally opposed to reopening negotiations at this point, but if they do, they hope to have the intellectual property and access to medicines provisions reopened. Continue Reading

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Views on the 60th World Health Assembly IGWG resolution

On 23 May 2007, the 60th World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization’s highest governing body, adopted resolution WHA60.30 on Public health, innovation and intellectual property. This resolution bolstered the work program of WHO’s Intergovernmental Working Group on Public health, innovation and intellectual property (IGWG/PHI). This is the key operative section of the resolution, and the reactions by several key persons.

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The Aachen Innovation Prize

The prize is not huge (5,000 Euros), but the purposes and winners are interesting. According to this account:

The city of Aachen and the district (Kreis) of Aachen have conferred the Aachen Innovation Prize jointly since the year 2000. From 1992 until 1999 it was granted by the city of Aachen alone under the name of the “City of Aachen Prize for Innovation and Technology”.

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KEI Statement on IPR/Health aspects of bipartisan “New Trade Policy”

KEI statement on bipartisan trade agreement
14 May 2007

FMI: James Love james.love@keionline.org, +1.202.361.3040

On May 10, 2007, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ways and Means Chair Charles Rangel announced a “new bipartisan ” trade package. KEI has reviewed the details of the elements of section III of the agreement, concerning “patents, IPR and access to medicine.”

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Prize4Life

Prize4Life is an effort to accelerate treatments for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It was created by 32 year old Avichai “Avi” Kremer. According to news reports Kremer was diagnosed with ALS in 2004, and has only a few years to live. He started Prize4Life to raise money for prizes to stimulation research.


Here are some extracts from this moving story in the March 28 issue of the Boston Globe:

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Notes from March 16th 2007 U.S. Capitol Briefing on Thailand’s Compulsory Licenses

On Friday, March 16, KEI organized a briefing in the U.S. Capitol on Thailand’s recent compulsory licenses on three drugs; two for HIV/AIDS (Merck’s efavirenz (Stocrin) and Abbott’s lopinavir + ritonavir (Kaletra)) and one for heart disease (Sanofi’s clopidogrel (Plavix)). … Continue Reading