[Ip-health] Bridges Weekly: BANGLADESH AND BOLIVIA CALL FOR EXTENSION OF WHO WORKING GROUP ON PUBLIC HEALTH, INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

Volume 11 	Number 8 	7 March 2007

http://www.ictsd.org/weekly/07-03-07/story4.htm

BANGLADESH AND BOLIVIA CALL FOR EXTENSION OF WHO WORKING GROUP ON
PUBLIC HEALTH, INNOVATION AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Bangladesh and Bolivia recently suggested that countries need more time
to finalise a plan at the World Health Organisation (WHO) for promoting
research on diseases that disproportionately affect people in poor
countries. At the end of February, the two countries made submissions
to the WHO's Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health,
Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG), addressing both procedural
and substantive aspects of the IGWG's tasks and documents under
negotiation.

Created in 2006, the IGWG was charged with submitting a global strategy
and plan of action to the 2008 World Health Assembly (the WHO's top
decision-making body), providing a new framework to support
sustainable, needs-driven, essential research and development (R&D)
work on diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries.
The IGWG held its first meeting in December 2006 (see BRIDGES Weekly,
13 December 2006). Members were invited to submit comments by the end
of February, allowing the WHO secretariat to update the negotiating
documents.

The Bangladeshi and Bolivian submissions both called for the extension
of the IGWG term for one additional year in order to set clear
objectives and priorities for R&D on Type II and III diseases (mostly
infectious or parasite diseases that heavily affect the poor) and
enable all stakeholders to carefully examine all proposals made. The
working group includes governments as well as a selected number of
observers, invited experts and stakeholders.

Both proposals also highlighted certain recommendations made in the
April 2006 report of the Commission on Public Health, Innovation and
Intellectual Property (see BRIDGES Weekly, 5 April 2006), requesting
that these be incorporated in the final IGWG global strategy and plan
of action. The work of the IGWG is based on the outcome of the
Commission on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property
(CIPIH).

The recommendations the two countries supported included the creation
of incentives and investment frameworks to facilitate technology
transfer, and the extension of intellectual property flexibilities --
beyond standard trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS)
flexibilities -- that would allow use of downstream and upstream
technologies (basic science and research tools to final products). They
also supported new innovation models such as the Prize fund model and
the Global Medical Research and Development Treat, and stressed the
importance of regional WHO offices in implementing the future global
strategy and plan of action.

The two submissions also highlighted issues of specific concern to
least developed countries (LCDs) and small economies. Bangladesh -- an
LDC with both absorptive and production capacities in the
pharmaceutical field -- stressed that efforts to promote and facilitate
transfer technology and investments in R&D in LDCs would generate
benefits for both home and host countries.

Bolivia reiterated the importance of TRIPS flexibilities, such as
compulsory licenses and parallel importation, for countries to be able
to obtain drugs at affordable prices. The submission also proposed that
free trade agreements should avoid including exclusivity schemes
regarding data protection on the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical
products, which would hinder access to new molecules and active
ingredients. Bolivia further suggested improving access and diffusion
of medicines by the creation of patent pools.

The IGWG is set to meet again in October this year to finalise the
global strategy and plan of action.

ICTSD reporting.

---------------------------------
Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
voice +41.22.791.6727
fax +41.22.723.2988
mobile +41 76 508 0997
thiru@keionline.org