[Ip-health] HAI statement on IGWG 1 May

[James Love]

-------- Forwarded Message --------
From: Christian Wagner
Subject: FW: HAI statement on IGWG 1 May
Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 11:07:27 +0200

Jamie,
Could you post this on IP health?

-----------------------------
HAI statement on IGWG

Thank you chair, Christian Wagner-Ahlfs speaking on behalf of Health Action
International.
Health Action International is following the IGWG process with great
interest and supports all approaches to transfer the outcome of the CIPIH
report into action.
Health Action International is a global network of over 200 members in more
than 70 countries. Our work in the area of access to medicine for the last
30 years, has shown us that the existing IP based system of R&D has failed
to meet people=E2=80=99s needs. There is extensive evidence to show that ve=
ry little
innovation is taking place that address the Health needs of the developing
countries and the poor across the globe. Clearly, we need a system that
places people=E2=80=99s real health needs above the interests of commerce. =
We need
innovation, but more importantly, we need access to innovation.
Therefore, from a public health perspective we would like to focus on two
key points:

=C2=B7=09Public responsibility
As the CIPIH report shows, there is clear relationship between IP and acces=
s
to health products. Given this, we would strongly propose that the WHO must
have a clear mandate to work in the area of IP and innovation. We thus ask
for the recognition of WHO as the leading stakeholder for realizing the
Global Strategy and Plan of Action.
By no means should the Draft strategy dilute the flexibilities in TRIPS tha=
t
have been established in various forums. This means, explicitly, no TRIPS
plus provisions in Free Trade Agreements, such as for example, provisions
relating to data exclusivity.

=C2=B7=09Incentives for pushing R&D:
The negotiations are an opportunity to explore and put in place new
mechanisms for doing Research on Health Products that are outside the TRIPS
framework. We ask to explore all possible incentives mechanism for Research
and Development that consider both: innovation and access to this
innovation. Here we ask all governments to show openness for breaking new
grounds. We need willingness to fund new approaches that are not focused on
commercial interest but on public health needs. This also includes a
rethinking of how to deal with public funded research that is licensed to
commercial partners. One possibility among others is to use open licensing
for public funded research.
If we want to solve the problems related to access and innovation that has
existed for long, it is not enough to stop at the IGWG negotiations. The
plan of action has to be filled with life. This will only be possible if al=
l
governments accept this challenge as their responsibility. Health is a
public responsibility and we look forward to country governments rising up
to the challenge of redeeming this responsibility in full.
Thank you.

-------------------------------------
Dr. Christian Wagner-Ahlfs
BUKO Pharma-Kampagne Germany
Health Action International (coordinator Essential Innovation Campaign)
August-Bebel-Str. 62
D-33602 Bielefeld

cwagner@bukopharma.de
Tel. +49-431- 64 89 659
Fax +49-431- 64 89 660
mobil +49-171-42 82 544

www.bukopharma.de
www.haiweb.org