[Ip-health] UAEM Gets University of British Columbia to Adopt Global Access Licensing Policy

[Ethan Guillen]

Another step in the right direction for University licensing policy thanks
to our incredible members at UBC.  See below for release.

Ethan
Universities Allied for Essential Medicines
955 Massachusetts Ave, #110
Cambridge, MA 02139
T: 775-287-2553



Media Release | Dec. 5, 2007
UBC Pledges Developing World Access to New Technologies

Access to relevant health, environmental and sustainability technologies fo=
r
the world=B9s poor is now significantly improved through a new University o=
f
British Columbia strategy called global access licensing.

UBC is the first university in Canada to launch such a program. UBC members
of the international student group Universities Allied for Essential
Medicines (UAEM) served as catalysts to develop the strategy.

=B3Our role as a research university extends beyond innovation -- we have a
responsibility to promote a global, civil society,=B2 says Barbara Campbell=
,
associate director at UBC=B9s University Industry Liaison Office (UILO) tha=
t
oversees research commercialization. =B3It=B9s our duty to try to maximize =
the
societal impact of our work.=B2

Societal impact of innovations and global access to them will be addressed
when new UBC technologies are developed, patented and licensed, Campbell
said.

=B3We have been very impressed with UBC=B9s willingness to collaborate with=
 our
group and their sincere commitment on this issue,=B2 says Patricia Kretz, a
UBC medical student and UAEM member. =B3They have demonstrated their
commitment by immediately putting principles into practice. We hope that
other Canadian universities will act with the same courage and dedication
that UBC has shown.=B2

University and student leaders developed the principles through a series of
consultations. Principles include: using public/private partnerships to
develop new technologies that benefit the developing world; seeking funding
partnerships to advance innovation in neglected disease areas; prioritizing
research that benefits the environment; respecting biodiversity in the
collection of research materials; designing patent strategies to ensure
products are delivered to those most in need while promoting sustainable
local infrastructure; and ensuring that underprivileged populations have
at-cost access to innovations where appropriate.

Some UBC projects have already incorporated global access strategies. For
example:

    * An agreement with the University of Papua New Guinea to share revenue=
s
from discoveries made using Papuan New Guinean marine products, relating to
Earth and Ocean Sciences Prof. Ray Andersen=B9s research into new therapies
from natural products. Revenues will support the country=B9s exchange and
education programs and marine conservation activities.

    * A UBC-led project to change the way infectious diseases are treated
worldwide by using the body=B9s own immune system to prevent lethal, drug
resistant infections such as malaria, typhoid fever, E. coli and
tuberculosis. The project, led by Prof. B. Brett Finlay, is funded by US$8.=
7
million as part of the Grand Challenges in Global Health, supported by the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Foundation for National
Institutes of Health. The international project will provide at-cost
delivery of essential medicines to the developing world.

    * Prof. Kish Wasan, of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, develope=
d
a new formulation for the treatment of fungal infections such as
leishmaniasis, which affects approximately 200 million people annually in
developing countries and kills about half a million people in India alone.
Wasan=B9s liquid preparation allows patients to take the medicine orally wi=
th
minimal side effects -- a significant improvement over current intravenous
administration that has significant toxic side effects. The
commercialization agreement between the UILO and iCo Therapeutics Inc. of
Vancouver, B.C., ensures the formula is developed consistent with global
access principles.

For more information on UBC global access principles, visit www.uilo.ubc.ca=
.

- 30 -