E-DRUG: CPTech Press Release on WHA CIPIH/R&D Resolution
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CPTech Statement on WHA passage of historic resolution on: Public
health, innovation, essential health research and intellectual
property rights; towards a global strategy and plan of action.
27 May 2006
By James Love, Director, Consumer Project on Technology, from the WHA
in Geneva:
"Today the World Health Organization's main governing body approved a
resolution that will set in motion an ambitious new effort to
stimulate R&D in areas of public health priority, with access to new
medical inventions.
"The global trade framework will be transformed by this initiative.
No longer will countries see trade agreements about intellectual
property rights or drug prices as the only mechanism for sustainable
funding of R&D, or the only possible outcome of a bilateral or
multilateral trade negotiation.
"The negotiators tackled a contentious issue with more grace and
better outcomes that many had predicted. The decision to create a
new intergovernmental working group that has a mandate to create a
global strategy and framework to address the setting of essential
health R&D priorities and sustainable funding mechanisms, consistent
with access, was bold and action oriented.
"R&D is too important to be left up to one person (Bill Gates), one
country (US NIH/CDC) or private investors only. It is also the
beginning of a serious discussion of how we can reconcile incentives
to innovate with access. Now we need to focus on the working group.
"The deal is not perfect. The resolution unhelpfully focused on
"diseases" rather than health care problems, and the European
Commission blocked the most explicit references to the need to
refashion R&D incentives to ensure access, or to promote more
openness in scientific research. But it is an impressive and
tangible start. There is much credit to go around, starting with
several dedicated public health advocates, most importantly Nicoletta
Dentico and Ellen 't Hoen, but also many others from the NGO
community, public health leaders from Kenya and Brazil, who set their
sights high, and provided the leadership that changed minds
everywhere, and scientists Tim Hubbard and Sir John Sulston.
"The United States delegation, led by Bill Steiger, provided
constructive and positive contributions, as did delegations from many
other countries, including the Netherlands, Italy, Norway, New
Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand and South Africa. We were disappointed
at the hostile attitude of the European Commission, but this too was
moderated by the more forward looking delegations from some EU member
states.
FMI.... my Geneva Cell +41.76.413.6584 (till Sunday).
For other NGO views, see:
http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/ip-health/2006-May/
http://lists.essential.org/pipermail/ip-health/2006-May/009628.html
FMI on WHA negotiations:
http://www.cptech.org/ip/health/who/59wha/index.html
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James Love, CPTech / www.cptech.org / mailto:james.love@cptech.org /
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / mobile +1.202.361.3040