The main winners of innovation are technologies that enable market application, with gene editing and artificial intelligence as two examples, Francis Gurry, director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization, told a panel discussion last week. Thomas Cueni, director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), said at the same event that everybody benefits from innovation. Continue reading ->
An African medicines agency, the continent’s first super-regulator, could be approved as soon as next year. Continue reading ->
NAIROBI, Kenya - A generic version of dolutegravir (DTG), the drug of choice for the last two years for people living with HIV in high-income countries, is now available in Africa. On 28 June, the government of Kenya and drug pricing and innovation mechanism Unitaid unveiled the new first-line drug in an effort to accelerate access to better antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for her people living with HIV. It becomes the first country in Africa to introduce the generic version of drug. Continue reading ->
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), a group of conditions that can result in heart attacks and strokes, is the world’s number one killer, accounting for one-third of deaths throughout the world, according to research released recently (17 May) by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. Continue reading ->
Shortages of vaccines are a worldwide problem with tremendous impact on health, affecting countries of all income groups and regions, speakers said at a recent industry event. Different possible solutions for shortages of vaccines were suggested during the panel discussion. Continue reading ->
Civil society organisations and the Business 20 Dialogue all put their positions on the table before the opening of the first-ever meeting of G20 Health Ministers tomorrow in Berlin, Germany taking place tomorrow. Continue reading ->
Pharmaceutical industry representatives today announced a new alliance to fight antimicrobial resistance. The announcement came during a meeting of the private sector of the most advanced countries. Continue reading ->
The African Union delegation to the United Nations came in outspoken numbers to a press briefing today to express unshakable support for the Ethiopian candidate to be the next head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Continue reading ->
A recent article in the journal Nature Biotechnology finds that since a key United States Supreme Court decision, the European Union and United States have diverged in their patent filings for medical diagnostics. Continue reading ->
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) has long been at the centre of global public health policy in Geneva, representing industry from around the world. Now at a critical moment of change in the policymaking machinery, a new leader, Thomas Cueni of Switzerland, has taken over. Intellectual Property Watch recently sat down with him to discuss his views and vision going forward, and discovered his intellectual pragmatism and diverse experience which promise to open an ambitious new era for the association and global health policy. Continue reading ->