Intellectual Property Rights

2019: USTR takes aim at European countries over pharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement policies

On 29 March 2019, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) published its 2019 National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE). Every year, the USTR is tasked with submitting to the “President, the Senate Finance Committee, and appropriate committees in the House of Representatives, an annual report on significant foreign trade …

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16 Civil society groups write open letter to WHO Director-General Dr Tedros: Roadmap on Access to Medicines and Vaccines 2019-2023

UPDATE: On Wednesday, 15 August 2018, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus provided a response to the open letter on the Roadmap on Access to Medicines and Vaccines 2019-2023. The Director-General’s response can be found here: WHO DG letter to KEI 15 August 2018 Access roadmap On Friday, 3 August 2018, 16 groups sent an …

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Civil Society Asks Upcoming Austrian EU Presidency To Defend Access To Medicines

On 27 June 2018, a small group of activists and public health campaigners organized a demonstration in front of Austria’s Health Ministry. Banners displayed the following messages: “Austrian Presidency of the EU: put patients before profits”, “Pharma 3 – Patients 0”, and “Pharma score goals with high prices”. KEI Europe, along with 11 other groups …

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Commissioner Malmström’s response to Civil Society concerns over the Third Country Report on the Protection of IPRs

On 16 April 2018, KEI Europe and 32 groups wrote a letter to the European Commission’s Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, expressing concerns over the Commission’s plans to create an EU Watch List. In the letter, we noted that although the European Union has publicly reiterated its commitment to support the right of third countries to …

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Thirty-three civil society groups write to Commissioner Malmström expressing concerns over the European Commission’s plans to create an EU Watch List

On 16 April 2018, KEI Europe and 32 groups wrote a letter to the European Commission’s Trade Commissioner, Cecilia Malmström, expressing concerns over the Commission’s plans to create an EU Watch List. The letter states that “despite the European Union’s public pledge of support for third countries’ right to use the flexibilities of the TRIPS …

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EC publishes report on protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in “third countries”

On 21 February 2018, the European Commission published a report on the “protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights in third countries”. The main objective of the report “is to identify third countries in which the state of IPR protection and enforcement gives rise to the greatest level of concern and thereby to establish an …

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Statement of Portugal: UN briefing on Promoting Innovation and Access to Health Technologies in the Context of the Agenda 2030

On Tuesday, 6 March 2018, Cristina Pucarinho, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations made the following intervention at a UN briefing on Promoting Innovation and Access to Health Technologies in the Context of the Agenda 2030 in New York. Portugal’s intervention on transparency in New York echoed the statement Portugal delivered …

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WHA70: Statement of Portugal on the Global shortage of, and access to medicines and vaccines

Portugal delivered the following statement at the 70th World Health Assembly on agenda item, 13.3 – Global shortage of, and access to medicines and vaccines. In relation to the Report of the United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines (UNHLP), the delegation of Portugal quoted the intervention delivered by the Portuguese Minister of Health, …

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Position of the European Union relating to World Health Organization negotiations on cancer

On 2nd May 2017, the European Commission responded to KEI Europe’s letter (31st March 2017) requesting the European Union to “support a WHO resolution on cancer that would provide the organization a mandate to conduct a feasibility study of creating a multi-country push and pull fund for cancer R&D predicated upon the principle of the …

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8 March 2017 – Statement of Portugal – HRC 34 – Panel on Access to Medicines

On 8 March 2017, the Permanent Representative of Portugal, Ambassador Pedro Nuno Bártolo, made a powerful intervention at the Human Rights Council’s panel discussion on access to medicines. Portugal stressed that access to medicines is a fundamental element of the right to health and highlighted how the high prices of hepatitis C and cancer medicines …

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