[Ip-health] IFPMA: WHA Resolution Recognizes IP is Important Incentive for Development of New Health-Care Products

[Mike Palmedo]

http://www.ifpma.org/News/NewsReleaseDetail.aspx?nID=3D5022

World Health Assembly Resolution Recognizes IP is Important Incentive
for Development of New Health-Care Products

IFPMA

Geneva, 5/31/2006 - The IFPMA notes positively the 59th World Health
Assembly Resolution (A59/A/Conf. Paper No. 8, 27 May 2006) on
=93Innovation, essential health research and intellectual property rights:
towards a global strategy and plan of action=94 and the establishment of
an intergovernmental working group =93to draw up a global strategy and
plan of action=85 to address essential health research and development
relevant to diseases that disproportionately affect developing
countries.=94 The IFPMA looks forward to representing the pharmaceutical
industry in the joint development of this strategy, along with WHO
Member States and other stakeholders.

Dr. Harvey Bale, Director General of the IFPMA, noted: =93As it did with
the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public
Health, so the IFPMA will work actively in this new WHO project. It is
important for patients worldwide that, in the coming two years, the WHO
can identify positive measures that reflect the growing recognition of
the benefits from the adoption of effective intellectual property
systems across the globe.=94

As the WHA Resolution itself notes, there is indeed global recognition
=93that intellectual property rights are an important incentive for the
development of new health-care products=94 and that =93considerable progres=
s
has been made in recent years by governments, industry, charitable
foundations and non-governmental organizations in initiatives to develop
new products to fight diseases affecting developing countries and to
increase access to existing ones=94.

Dr. Bale stated: =93We also recognize that in certain disease areas where
developing countries are most highly impacted, further efforts are
needed to create new partnerships to carry forward research and
development.=94 In addition to its many medicines access partnerships, the
pharmaceutical industry itself is collaborating in a large number of
important =93neglected disease=94 projects, as confirmed by two recent
reports from the London School of Economics & Political Science; The New
Landscape of Neglected Disease Drug Development 1 and The IFPMA Health
Partnerships Survey: A Critical Appraisal 2. Industry-led partnerships
to improve both access and R&D are also documented in detail in a new
IFPMA publication: Partnerships to Build Healthier Societies in the
Developing World 3.

In summary, the research-based pharmaceutical industry will contribute
actively to the upcoming two year WHO intergovernmental working group.

About the IFPMA

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers &
Associations is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation representing
national industry associations and companies from both developed and
developing countries. Member companies of the IFPMA are research-based
pharmaceutical, biotech and vaccine companies.

For More Information Please Contact

Guy Willis
Director of Communications, IFPMA
Ch. Louis-Dunant, 15
P.O. Box 195
1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland
Email: g.willis@ifpma.org
Tel: +41 (22) 338 32 00
Fax: +41 (22) 338 32 99