WHO IGWG on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property: Elements of a global strategy and plan of action

FromGeneva
November 15, 2006
Thiru Balasubramaniam

Between October 5, 2006 to November 9, 2006, the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG) released five documents which can be found on the following website. The Elements of a global strategy and plan of action (A/PHI/IGWG/1/4) document states that the "global strategy and plan of action, might include the following elements:

• prioritizating research and development needs
• promoting research and development
• building innovation capacity
• improving delivery and access
• ensuring sustainable financing mechanisms
• establishing monitoring and reporting systems."

In the "building innovating capacity section" one of the areas for action is a recommendation to

promote patent pools of upstream technologies or other mechanisms to promote innovation of products for priority diseases in developing countries.

In the "promoting research and development" section, one of the areas for action proposed is to

promote discovery science in order to identify, validate and build up a sustainable portfolio of new products, whose development is facilitated through appropriate legal arrangements permitting unrestricted access to drug leads identified through the screening of compound libraries for diseases relevant to the public health needs of developing countries.

The "Elements of a global strategy and plan of action document" has been conceived as a basis for discussion by the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group when considering the 60 recommendations of the WHO Commission on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Public Health. The global strategy and plan of action,

suggests some possible elements of a draft global strategy and plan of action, but does not attempt to treat each one comprehensively. The suggestions need to be evaluated from the viewpoint of their technical and political feasibility.

Here below is are the reference numbers and official titles of all five documents.

A/PHI/IGWG/1/1
A/PHI/IGWG/1/1 Rev.1
Provisional agenda

A/PHI/IGWG/1/2
Review of recommendations of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health

A/PHI/IGWG/1/3
Status of implementation of resolution WHA59.24

A/PHI/IGWG/1/4
Elements of a global strategy and plan of action

A/PHI/IGWG/1/DIV/1
Guide for delegates to the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property