[Ip-health] Financial Times: WHO to prompt R&D for poorer countries

[James Love]

I agree with the "miraculous" part of this article.  However, the
Kenya/Brazil resolution (EB117.r13) had never included a "demand" for
"binding" anything, only the start of a conversation about a new
global framework.  (a proposal for discussions about a treaty was
proposed by Brazil in the CIPIH resolution, but not discussed).   The
Kenya/Brazil resolution referred to considerations of soft or hard
obligations, and all sorts of mechanisms to advance the idea of a
multilateral R&D initiative.   It is most likely that short term work
will involve softer norms, but everything is still on the table,
including the possibility for hard norms as a longer term project.  I
think the public sector, open access and open source type things are
still in the mix, mentioned specifically in the CIPIH report itself,
and implicit in other parts of the new resolution, such as the graphs:

"Recognizing the importance of public and private investment in the
development of new medical technologies"

"Concerned about the impact of high-prices of medicines on access to
treatment"

"Aware of the need to promote new thinking on the mechanisms that
support innovation"


On May 29, 2006, at 5:26 AM, Thiru Balasubramaniam wrote:
>
> The WHO accord followed what health officials called a "miraculous"
> change of tack by the US, which had previously indicated strong
> opposition to any steps that might imply a weakening or
> sidestepping of
> the drug patenting system.
>
> In return, developing countries led by Brazil and Kenya dropped
> demands
> for a binding research and development framework and explicit support
> for "open access" and other models of promoting health research
> outside
> the patent system.
>

---------------------------------
James Love, CPTech / www.cptech.org / mailto:james.love@cptech.org /
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"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks."  Bill Walton