Recent news
November 2011
Groups offer proposal to improve funding for global health R&D
November 29, 2011 -- Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Doctors without Borders, and the Third World Network recently released a proposal to a World Health Organization (WHO) working group on funding global health research and development (R&D). The proposal suggests using a binding convention for R&D linked to diseases that particularly affect developing countries as an alternative mechanism to promote more equitable funding for global health R&D. According to the proposal, the "international community needs an international legal framework to ensure (1) sustainable sources of financing for research and development focused on priority health needs, particularly for the needs of developing countries and especially the poorest or most vulnerable members of society, and (2) an agreement that medical tools will be affordable and widely accessible to a global population of patients once they are developed."
The WHO working group met earlier this month and plans to release a report in the first quarter of 2012. The working group examines financing for global health R&D, as well as proposals for new and innovative sources of financing to stimulate research and product development.
In related news, the South Centre and KEI hosted an event at the World Intellectual Property Organization earlier this month to assess the impact of the Doha Declaration on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Public Health. The declaration was adopted ten years ago by the World Trade Organization (WTO) to help improve access to medicines across the globe. At the event, many speakers acknowledged the importance of the Doha Declaration but expressed that many implementation obstacles have caused it to fall short in addressing serious global health needs. Part of the panel conversation centered around how new research and development (R&D) standards could help promote innovation.
