Potential Elements of the WHO Global R&D Treaty: Tailoring Solutions for Disparate Contexts

Intellectual Property Watch, January 29, 2013

4 Pages Posted: 30 Jan 2013 Last revised: 2 May 2015

See all articles by Ryan Abbott

Ryan Abbott

University of Surrey School of Law; University of California, Los Angeles - David Geffen School of Medicine

Abstract

Last week, the WHO Executive Board held the latest in a series of meetings to discuss the report for negotiation on a global treaty for funding and coordination of medical research and development. As proposed, the treaty would commit Member States to spend at least 0.01% of their gross domestic product on R&D that addresses the special health needs of developing countries, and it would require at least 20% of this funding to be spent through a single pooled financing mechanism. However, the treaty proposal had encountered substantial opposition from developed countries at an open-ended meeting of WHO Member States last November. This article analyzes the key components of the WHO proposal and their potential impact on public health. It proposes strategies to convert parties currently opposing the treaty, and argues that a stratified limited market-exclusivity regime has the capacity for a meaningful impact.

Keywords: medical research and development, neglected diseases, funding and coordination, World Health Organization

Suggested Citation

Abbott, Ryan Benjamin, Potential Elements of the WHO Global R&D Treaty: Tailoring Solutions for Disparate Contexts. Intellectual Property Watch, January 29, 2013, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2208653

Ryan Benjamin Abbott (Contact Author)

University of Surrey School of Law ( email )

Guildford
Guildford, Surrey GU2 5XH
United Kingdom

University of California, Los Angeles - David Geffen School of Medicine ( email )

1000 Veteran Avenue, Box 956939
Los Angeles, CA 90095-6939
United States

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