An Update on Intellectual Property Claims Related to Global Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (No. 15)

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An Update on Intellectual Property Claims Related to Global Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (No. 15)

USD 6.00 Publisher: TWN
ISBN: 978-967-5412-57-8
Year: 2011
No. of pages: 32
Size of book: 16.5cm x 24cm
Author: Edward Hammond

About the Book

Amid the continued threat of influenza pandemics, the field of pandemic influenza research is being subjected to increasing intellectual property coverage as new influenza strains appear and vaccine and diagnostic technologies change. Concern has arisen that this plethora of patent claims is impeding access to anti-influenza technologies and products, particularly vaccines, especially in the developing world.

Following up on a 2007 review by the author (published as Intellectual Property Rights Series No. 12), this paper provides an updated overview of trends in patenting activity related to pandemic influenza preparedness (PIP). Some specific patent applications are also briefly examined as representative examples of the patent claims currently being made in this area. In addition, the paper offers a critical perspective on a recent report by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) which similarly surveys PIP-related patenting activity.

In light of the patenting trends highlighted, this paper raises the need for equitable sharing of the benefits arising from pandemic influenza research, in order not to impair developing and other countries’ responsive capacity in the event of a pandemic.

About the Author

Edward Hammond directs Prickly Research (www.pricklyresearch.com), a research and writing consultancy based in Austin, Texas, USA. He has worked on biodiversity and infectious disease issues since 1994. From 1999 to 2008 Hammond directed the Sunshine Project, an international non-governmental organization specializing in biological weapons control. Hammond was Programme Officer for the Rural Advancement Foundation International (now the ETC Group) from 1995 to 1999. He holds MS and MA degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, where he was an Inter-American Foundation Masters Fellow.

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