ML&P Blog: Our insight into current issues
Medicines Law & Policy periodically will post timely analysis and insight into current events related to intellectual property and innovation policy as they impact on access to medicines. These posts are listed below. We also have a newsletter for those interested in being notified when new articles are posted.
Latest blog posts
The European Commission’s proposal on a new EU-wide compulsory licensing regime
Guest author Olga Gurgula is a Senior Lecturer in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel Law School, Brunel University London
A recent international health emergency, the...
The European Commission’s compulsory licensing proposals are sensible but do not go far enough
An earlier version of this comment was published in Barron's on 21 July 2023. A Spanish translation of it is also available from El...
Thanks to the European Commission, Biogen can extend Tecfidera monopoly for at least two...
According to an investigation by Follow the Money, a Dutch investigative journalism outlet, the European Commission restored the market exclusivity of Tecfidera, a multiple...
Submission to the US International Trade Commission
On 17 June 2022, World Trade Organization (WTO) Members adopted a Ministerial Decision outlining flexibilities in the WTO’s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property...
The European Commission’s proposal for an EU wide compulsory licensing mechanism
In 2006 the European Generics Association was seeking clarification from the European Commission on whether generic versions of oseltamivir (Tamiflu) could be supplied to...
Updated TRIPS Flexibilities Database
In January 2023, a number of cystic-fibrosis patient organisations asked the governments of Brazil, India, South Africa and Ukraine to invoke compulsory licensing and...
New WHO-UNITAID briefing paper: Improving Access to Covid-19 Treatments
A new briefing paper based on Medicines Law & Policy research outlines the legal instruments available for countries seeking to access key therapeutics to...
How not to solve a crisis: The European Commission’s Plan for Transferable Data Exclusivity...
Drug-resistant infections, sometimes called “superbugs,” killed an estimated 1.27 million people in 2019, a number set to rise to 50 million by 2050. It is...
ML&P’s Comments to the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) on the Zero Draft of the...
These remarks were delivered on the occasion of the fourth meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body to draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement...
Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation is taking AbbVie to court over excessive pricing of Humira –...
On 21 February, the Dutch Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation (PAF) took the bold step to take AbbVie to court, claiming the company’s pricing policy had...
Featured posts
With technology transfer, 120 companies in low- and middle-income countries could manufacture mRNA vaccines
Recent reporting from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has revealed efforts by BioNTech – the technology firm behind Pfizer’s projected $100 billion in Covid-19...
Covid shows the world it needs new rules to deal with pandemics
The World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s annual decision-making meeting, begins next week and will run from 24 May - 1 June....
Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response: Uneven access to vaccination is pre-eminent problem
The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response (IPPPR) today released its findings in a report titled “Covid-19: Make it the last pandemic,” laying...
BMJ Commentary: Overriding drug and medical technology patents for pandemic recovery: a legitimate move...
Interest in the use of compulsory licensing is making a comeback in high-income countries in response to concerns about access to Covid-19 vaccines and...
Posts by topic
Our year-end wrap-ups
Wrapping up 2022 with some noteworthy medicines, law and policy events
Welcome to our annual, highly biased, overview of noteworthy events in the field of medicines law and policy.
Also in 2022, Covid-19 remained a central...
Wrapping up 2021 – some noteworthy medicines law and policy events
Welcome to the annual end of the year blog, our highly biased overview of noteworthy events in the field of medicines law and policy....
Wrapping up 2020 with some noteworthy medicines, law and policy events
Wrapping up the year 2020 can’t happen soon enough. This year, one way or the other, most people on the planet have been affected...