[Ip-health] DPA: WHO agree "breakthrough" deal to research and develop drugs

[Sheila.SHETTLE@geneva.msf.org]

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
May 27, 2006 Saturday
WHO agree "breakthrough" deal to research and develop drugs

Geneva
The World Health Organization's governing body  approved a resolution
Saturday that aims to overhaul drugs research  and provide affordable drugs
on a needs-driven basis.

The agreement will create a new framework to stimulate research  and
development in areas of public health priority, and could change  the way
some new drugs are funded and brought onto the market.

The resolution was based on an initial proposal by both Kenya and  Brazil.
The health charity Medicine Sans Frontier, which has  campaigned for a
change in the way new drugs are developed, hailed  the resolution as a
"breakthrough."

"The current system that is based on patents and high drug prices  as the
way to finance R&D leaves huge health needs unmet,  particularly in
developing countries, and it leaves millions without  access to the drugs
they need," said Ellen 't Hoen, director of  policy and advocacy at MSF's
Campaign for Access to Essential  Medicines.

The resolution, passed by the assembly, which represents 192  member
countries, will implement the recommendations of the report of  the
Commission on Intellectual property, Innovation and Public  Health.

Published in April 2006, the CIPIH report supported the criticisms  that
the existing system was unsatisfactory and steered investment  towards
areas of highest profitability instead of areas of greatest  need.


+++++++++++++++++++++
Sheila Shettle
Communications Officer
M=E9decins Sans Fronti=E8res
Campaign for Access to Essential Medicines
Rue de Lausanne 78
1211 Geneva
Switzerland
+ 41.22.849.8403
sheila.shettle@geneva.msf.org
www.accessmed-msf.org