CPT's page on Health Care and the World Health Organization

Health Care, Trade Disputes, and the World Health Organization

March 2, 2007. Knowledge Ecology International submission to the WHO Expert Committee on the Selection and Use of Essential Medicines. Request for changes in the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines.

Related CPTech Pages

May 14-23, 2007. 60th World Health Assembly.
December 4-8, 2006. WHO Intergovernmental Working Group in Geneva..
Controversy over the recall of William Aldis.

WHO Resolution on "Public Health, Innovation, Essential Health Research and Intellectual Property Rights: Towards a Global Strategy and Plan of Action."

May 27, 2006. 59th World Health Assembly. (WHA59.27) Agenda Item 11.11. Public health, innovation, essential health research and intellectual property rights: towards a global strategy and plan of action.
May 27, 2006. CPTech Statement on World Health Assembly Passage passage of Historic Resolution.
CPTech Page on the 59th World Health Assembly, May 22-27, 2006, Geneva.

WHO Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health

World Health Organization Documents

April, 2006. Final report of the Commission. Public health, innovation and intellectual property rights.
May, 2006. Tomris Türmen & Charles Clift. Editorial in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 84 (5). Public health, innovation and intellectual property rights: unfinished business.
February 12, 2004. Press release. WHO Announces Membership of the Commission.
January 15, 2004. Terms of Reference for Review Group.

EC Position on the CIPIH Report
NGO Documents
- May, 2006. James Love. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 84 (5). Drug development incentives to improve access to essential medicines.
- May, 2006. Ellen t' Hoen from MSF. Article published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization. (84,5). Report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health: A Call to Governments
- April 26, 2006. MSF. Governments should ignore the conclusions of WHO report on intellectual property and public health at their own risk.
- April 5, 2006. Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative. CIPIH Report could change the lives of neglected patients.
- April 5, 2006. AIDS Healthcare Foundation. AHF Lauds WHO Report Urging Ease of Drug Patents in Poor Countries.
- February 24, 2005. CPTech's letter to the Commission. Request to Evaluate Proposal for New Global R&D Treaty.
- April 5, 2004. Statement of Essential Inventions to the World Health Organization Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health.
Rightholder Documents
- April 4, 2006. International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations. WHO Commission Report on Biomedical Innovation, Patents and Public Health Contains Many Sound Proposals – But Mistakenly Underestimates Vital Role of Patents.
News Stories
- May 31, 2006. Patent Baristas. WHO Releases Report Promoting Innovation Relevant to Developing Countries.
- May 21, 2006. Elisabeth Rosenthal for the International Herald Tribune. A WHO report finds system fails the poor.
- April 4, 2006. Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for IP-Watch. WHO IP Report Comprehensive, But No Calls For Major Change In IP System.
- April 4, 2006. Sarah Bosely for the Guardian. WHO plea to drugs companies.
- April 3, 2006. David Dickson for SciDev.net. Patent Study Urges R&D Boost for Neglected Diseases.
- April 3, 2006. Frances Williams for the Financial Times. Weaker drug patents urged to help poor.
- January 23, 2006. Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New for IP Watch. WHO IP Commission Seeks To Overcome Leak Of Report To Industry.
- January 13, 2006. Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for IP Watch. Disagreements Further Delay WHO IP Commission Report.
Click here to sign up for the Commission's email list.

Controversy Surrounding the Recall of William Aldis for Cautioning Against TRIPS-Plus FTAs

July 12, 2006. Simon Montlake for the South China Morning Post. Bitter Medicine.
June 20, 2006. Bangkok Post. US 'behind' WHO official's ouster.
June 19, 2006. Pennapa Hongthong for the Thai Nation. WHO under fire over controversial transfer - Civic groups say US pushed for Bangkok official to be replaced after FTA warning.
June 17, 2006. Dylan C. Williams for the Asia Times. A lethal dose of US politics.

CPTech Documents

February 24, 2005. Letter to WHO Commission on IP, Innovation and Public Health. Request to Evaluate Proposal for New Global R&D Treaty.
October 7, 2001. Note from James Love to Gro Harlem Brundtland and David Nabarro. Request that WHO seek compulsory licenses for 5 essential antiretrovial products in Sub-Saharan Africa.
September 21, 2001. Letter from WHO Director General Gro Harlem Brudtland to Ralph Nader, responding to a July 23 Letter from Ralph Nader.
Related CPTech Pages

WHO Prequalification

January 7, 2005. Medecins Sans Frontieres. MSF briefing note regarding WHO pre-qualification for the 115th Session of the WHO Executive Board.

Recent Statements from WHO and Manufacturers

January 24, 2005. Ranbaxy press release. Ranbaxy Makes Three Fresh Filings of Antiretrovirals to WHO.
November 30, 2004. World Health Organization press release. Two Cipla AIDS medicines back on WHO prequalification list.
November 19, 2004. World Health Organization press release. Hetero Drugs Ltd withdraws antiretrovirals from WHO prequalification list for further review.
November 9, 2004. Ranbaxy press release. Ranbaxy withdraws all its antiretroviral medicines from WHO prequalification.
November 9, 2004. World Health Organization press release. Ranbaxy withdraws all its antiretroviral medicines from WHO prequalification.
August 4, 2004. Ranbaxy press release on WHO Prequalification.

Op-ed Articles

December 14, 2004. Letters to the Editor of the Wall Street Journal by Dr. Rowan Gillies (President, Medecins Sans Frontieres International Council) and Bernard Hirschel (Head, HIV/AIDS Division Geneva University Hospital). In War on AIDS, Generics Give Poor a Fighting Chance.
December 9, 2004. Carol Adelman for the Hudson Institute in the Wall Street Journal. Deadly Medicine.
December 4, 2004. Roger Teck for Medecins Sans Frontieres. Letter to the Editor of the San Francisco Chroncile in repsonse to Aber Mason's column below. Generic Medicines Work.
December 1, 2004. Abner Mason for of the AIDS Responsibility Project in the San Francisco Chronicle. Slouching Towards Drug Resistance.
November 20, 2004. Nathan Ford of MSF in the Lancet. The important world of drug prequalification.
November 20, 2004. Eric Goemaere of MSF in the Seattle Times. Doctors without regrets.
November 20, 2004. Editorial in the Lancet. The important world of drug prequalification.
November 10, 2004. Nick Schultz for Tech Central Station. This is Your WHO on Drugs.

News Stories

December 1, 2004. Andrew Jack and Frances Williams for the Financial Times. WHO lifts ban on two generic antiretroviral treatments.
December 1, 2004. Yensi Rivero for the Inter Press Service. Venezuela - Side Effects of Generic Drug Controversy.
November 30, 2004. Reuters. Cipla anti-AIDS drugs back on WHO list.
November 20, 2004. News-medical.net. Hetero Drugs withdraws antiretrovirals.
November 19, 2004. Stephanie Nebehay for Reuters. India's Hetero Takes AIDS Drugs Off WHO List.
November 19, 2004. Sam Cage for the Associated Press. Indian firm withdraws six HIV drugs from WHO's approved list.
November 19, 2004. Agence France Presse. Indian firm pulls Aids drug from WHO listing
November 15, 2004. Editorial in the San Fransisco Chronicle. An AIDS Setback.
November 15, 2004. Op-ed by James Glassman for Scripps Howard News Service. AIDS Policy in Shambles. Also, see the response from Brook Baker of Health GAP. Glassman's Faulty Critique on the Ranbaxy De-Listing and the Vioxx Counter-example.
November 12, 2004. Richard Waddington for Reuters. India's Ranbaxy Pulls All AIDS Drugs from WHO List.
November 10, 2004. Reuters. Ranbaxy AIDS drugs off UN list.
November 10, 2004. David Brown for the Washington Post. Maker Removes Generic AIDS Drugs From Approved List.
November 10, 2004. Jeanne Whalen and Leila Abboud for the Wall Street Journal. Generic Maker Pulls HIV Drugs From WHO Use.
November 10, 2004. The Advocate. Indian firm withdraws all its HIV drugs from WHO list.
November 10, 2004. Reuters. Drug recall unlikely to pinch Ranbaxy.

Status of Cipla's Lamivudine and Zidovudine

Statements
- June 17, 2004. World Health Organization. WHO statement on removal of two AIDS medicines from list of prequalified products.
- June 16, 2004. Bill Haddad. Cipla Statement on WHO Prequalification of 3TC and AZT.
- June 16, 2004. Carol Adelman, Jeremiah Norris and Jean Weicher for the Hudson Institute. Statement on World Health Organization’s delisting of Indian-made AIDS drugs from its prequalification list.
- June 16, 2004. Medecins Sans Frontieres briefing note. Two Cipla AIDS Drugs Removed from WHO Prequalification List.
- June 16, 2004. Brook Baker for Health GAP. Post Prequalification Rigor at the WHO.
News Stories
- August 20, 2004. Megha Lodha for the Financial Express. Cipla Submits Fresh Data On Delisted Drug To WHO.
- August 13, 2004. P.T. Jyothi Datta for the Hindu Business Line. Anti-AIDS drug: Cipla re-submits data to WHO.
- August 4, 2004. Keith Alcorn for AIDSmap.com. WHO removes three Ranbaxy antiretrovirals from prequlification list due to failings in research procedures.
- July 16, 2004. Indo-Asian News Service. De-listing of drugs no comment on quality: WHO.
- June 16, 2003. Sam Cage for the Associated Press. Two drugs off WHO's list of HIV medicines.
- June 16, 2004. Lawrence Altman and Donald McNeil for the New York Times. U.N. Agency Drops 2 Drugs for AIDS Care Worldwide.
- June 16, 2004. Keith Alcorn for AIDS Map. WHO removes Cipla AZT, 3TC products from prequalification list.

3 X 5 Rollout

WHO Documents
- January 26, 2005. WHO's "3 by 5" Progress report, December 2004
- Homepage for WHO's 3x5 Inistiative.
- December 1, 2003. Treating 3 million by 2005 - Making it happen
- December 1, 2003. WHO press release. WHO adds new fixed dose combinations to its list of quality products for AIDS treatment - Key component of 3 by 5 strategy
Other Statements
- December 1, 2003. MSF press release. MSF welcomes WHO support of twice-a-day pill for AIDS: But says more ambition needed to bring prices down.
- December 1, 2003. UN press release. UN agencies launch programme to treat 3 million HIV-infected people by 2005.
News Stories
- December 2, 2003. Chris Tomlinson for the Associated Press. On World AIDS, U.N. Declares Drug War On The Disease.
- December 2, 2003. Tamar Kahn for Business Day. WHO Unveils Ambitious Plan to Get Aids Drugs to Millions.
- December 2, 2003. The Advocate. WHO marks World AIDS Day by launching treatment campaign.
- December 1, 2003. William Maclean for Reuters. Drug plan unveiled on World AIDS Day.
- December 1, 2003. David Brown for the Washington Post. WHO Unveils Plan to Fight HIV and AIDS.
- December 1, 2003. Steve Baragona for the Voice of America. UN Unveils New AIDS Strategy.

Other WHO Documents

FIXED DOSE COMBINATIONS FOR HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS, AND MALARIA Conference held December 15-17, 200, hosted by WHO.
Key Facts about the WHO Prequalification Project.
World Health Organization Survey of Safe HIV/AIDS Drugs and Manufacturers.
World Health Organization Homepage.
WHO Blue Book
WHO Page on its Essential Drugs and Medicines (EDM) Policy. Includes the WHO Essential Drugs List, and its new (May, 2001) annotated bibliography on globalization, patents, and drugs.
December 13, 2002. Report by the Secretariat. WHO Medicines Strategy: Progress Report.
October 30, 2002. World Health Report.
September 24, 2002. WHO Fact Sheet. Drug Price Information Services: What is WHO doing to improve drug price information?
September 17, 2002. Statement by the representative of the World Health Organization at the WTO Council for TRIPS
September 17, 2002. Report by Carlos Correa for WHO. Implications of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health. (MS Word Document)
August 22, 2002. Joint report with the WTO. WTO Agreements and Public Health.
- Full Report.
- Press Release.
- News stories and commentary.
  - November, 2002. Sabyasachi Mitra. WTO Agreements and Public Health: A Nexus Rather than an Agreement.
  - August 31, 2002. Sanjay Kumar for the British Medical Journal. Health can take precedence over trade issues, says report.
  - August 21, 2002. Robert Evans for Reuters. WTO, WHO See No Conflict in Trade Rules and Health.
  - August 22, 2002. Lisa Schlein for the Voice of America. Study Concludes Health Needs Should Take Precedence Over Trade.
April 22, 2002. Draft Report Scaling Up Antiretroviral Therapy in Resource Limited Settings: Guidelines for a Public Health Approach.
- Full Report(pdf)
- Executive Summary (pdf)
- Press Release. WHO Takes Major Steps to Make HIV Treatment Accessible.
- Donald McNeil for the New York Times. World Health Organization Announces New AIDS Guidelines.
January 31, 2002. Scaling up the response to infectious diseases: A way out of poverty.
- Text of the Report.
- WHO press release.
- Reuters. WHO Launches Plan to Tackle Infectious Disease.
- David Brown for the Washington Post. Global Push Against 3 Diseases Urged.
- Gustavo Capdevila for the Inter Press Service. WHO Proposes New Model to Fight Infectious Disease.
Report of the Director General, 2001
April 4, 2000, DG-WHO-Dr. Gro Harlem Bruntland's address to the Brazilian Parliament on generics and essential medecines.

Selection of Director General, January 2003

Short Bios of the Five Candidates for Director General of WHO
January 28, 2003. WHO press release. Dr Jong Wook Lee nominated to be WHO Director-General.
January 28, 2003. International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Associations press release. IFPMA Welcomes WHO Director General Nomination.
January 28, 2003. John Zarocostas for UPI. South Korean elected to lead WHO.
January 28, 2003. The Economist. Give and Take.
January 22, 2003. Frances Williams for the Financial Times. Five contenders vie for world health post.
January 21, 2003. World Health Organization press release. Choice narrows in WHO Director-General race.
January 17, 2003. Health and Development Networks. WHO Director General Selection - Setting the Scene.

109th WHO Executive Board Meeting, January 2002

January 15, 2002. Consumers International. Public Private Interactions for Health: WHO's Involvement.
January 14, 2001. Gro Harlem Brundtland. Statement by the Director-General to the Executive Board at Its 109th Session.
January 14, 2002. Medicins Sans Frontieres. MSF Statement for the WHO Executive Board.

2000 World Health Assembly Resolution on HIV/AIDS- confronting the epidemic

May 18, 2000, James Love's note to Pharm-Policy, regarding USA efforts to thwart Brazil's and Zimbabwe's amendements to WHO AIDS resolution.

January 28, 2000, WHA Executive Board resolution. EB105.R17, on HIV/AIDS: confronting the epidemic. The US government insisted on taking out any reference to intellectual property rights in this resolution. Here is the previous version.

January 25, 2000, note to Pharm-Policy, regarding USA efforts to remove IPR section from WHO AIDS resolution.

January 27, 2000, response from Dr. Thomas Novotny of US DHHS.

January 28, 2000, James Love's reply to Dr. Novotny.

January 18, 2000, PhRMA letter from Alan F. Holmer to Secretary Donna Shalala on WHO HIV/AIDS Resolution.

1999 World Health Assembly Resolution on Revised Drug Strategy

January 26, 1999, South Africa Comments to WHA Executive Board on Revised Drug Strategy

January 26, 1999, Bas van der Heide, Statement on behalf of Consumers International for WHO Executive Board, 103rd session on agenda item: Revised Drug Strategy (Document EB103/4)

December 17, 1998, US to Support WHA Revised Drug Strategy, by Jamie Love

November 25, 1998, Report by the Chairman of the ad hoc working group, in pdf format from the WHO web page, or in html format as reedited without the annex.

October 7, 1998, European Commission (DG 1) note on the WHO's Revised Drug Stategy

Text of the WHA Resolution, as discussed during the May 1998 Assembly

May 1998, Background on compulsory licensing, a paper distributed by public health groups at the 51st World Health Assembly.

May 27, 1998. Cable from US Mission in Geneva to the US Department of State. Revised Drug Strategy at WHO: Atmospherics of the Dabate, and Recommended Plan of Action. DOC_NUMBER: 1998GENEVA03470

May 13, 1998, CPT letter to Dr. Stuart Nightingale regarding 1998 World Health Assembly Resolution which discusses TRIPS.

May 12, 1998, CPT letter to James McGinchey regarding public health and intellectual property.

Health Action International Documents

May 2000, MSF/HAI/CPT, Drug Policy at the 53rd World Health Assembly May 2000, Improving Access to Essential Medicines: Confronting the Crisis.

January 26, 1999, Bas van der Heide, Statement on behalf of Consumers International for WHO Executive Board, 103rd session on agenda item: Revised Drug Strategy (Document EB103/4)

Health Action International's Views on Globalization and Pharmaceuticals. A presentation based on this paper was made to the Technical Briefing on the Revised Drug Strategy on Tuesday, 13 October 1998, for the WHO Executive Board Ad hoc working group on the Revised Drug Strategy meeting in Geneva, 3-16 October 1998. .

Drug Issues Discussion Paper, paper written for WHO-NGO Roundtable on October 9, 1998.

News Stories

January 4, 2003. Lancet Volume 361, Number 9351: Issue on the WHO.

September 22, 2005. Meraiah Foley for the Associated Press. WHO Urges Nations to Bypass Patent Laws.

November 5, 2003. Paulo Teixeria, HIV/AIDS Director for the World Health Organization. Letter to the editor of the Washington Post in response to the October 25 article by Shankar Vedanam (see below). Pills, Patents and the Poor.

October 25, 2003. Shankar Vedantam for the Washington Post. AIDS Plan Would Cut Drug Costs for Poor: WHO Would Provide 3-in-1 Pill to Nations.

October 22, 2002. Reuters. WHO Says Two Billion People Lack Basic Medicines.

September 25, 2002. Joe Fiorill for the UN Wire. Brundtland Urges More Health Spending To Boost Security.

August 26, 2002. Rahul Singh for the Earth Times. At Summit, WHO's Nabarro Says Sustainable Development Must Include Health Priorities.

August 23, 2002. Naomi Koppel for the Associated Press. WHO Head Won't Seek Second Term.

July, 2002. Op-ede. Jean-Loup Motchane for Le Monde Diplomatique. Healoth for All or Riches for Some: WHO's Responsible.

February 6, 2002. Sarah Bosley for the Guardian. Unhealthy Influence.

May 25, 2001. The Economist. A triumph of experience over hope.

May 18, 2000, Donald G. McNeil Jr., in the New York Times, Patent Holders Fight Proposal on Generic AIDS Drugs for Poor

May 18, 2000, Lakshmi Chaudhry, in Wired, About-Face in Geneva: U.S. Averts AIDS Policy Uproar

Helpful related documents

February 26, 2004. Association de Lutte Contre le Sida and ACT-UP Paris.

February 12, 2004. International federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Associations. Pharmaceutical Industry Welcomes WHO Announcement of the Membership of Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovations and Public Health.

January 29, 2003. ACT-UP Paris press release. The list of the essential measures Mrs. Brundtland must take before the end of her current term.

January 21, 2003. Spring Gombe for Health Action International. Report on Day Three of the World Health Assembly.

Original Comments on EDL Process by Member States.

The Thai Tobacco Case
* November 7, 1990 GATT Decision regarding Thailand - Restriction on Importation of and Internal Taxes on Cigarettes
* Taking on Tobacco Imperialism, Interview with Dr. Hatai Chitanondh, published in the 1997 July/August issue of Multinational Monitor

Chapter 8 of the Federal Trade Commission "Anticipating the 21st Century : Competition Policy in the New High-Tech, Global Marketplace, Volume I" Report

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