WHO Talks on ‘Counterfeit’

Intellectual property concerns came to the fore at last week’s meeting of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board (EB), with discussions taking place on medical products deemed to be ineffective, falsely labelled, or counterfeit.

In this regard, the EB adopted a resolution establishing a “new Member State mechanism for international collaboration among Member States, from a public health perspective, excluding trade and intellectual property considerations” regarding ‘substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/falsified/ counterfeit medical products’. The mechanism is to be reviewed after three years of operation and its modalities will be decided on at the next Assembly in May.

Sources note that trade and intellectual property had been explicitly left out of the resolution, due to developing country fears that efforts to combat “counterfeit” medicines could affect trade in genuine and effective generic medicines.

Other concerns raised during discussions on this issue were about definitions - ‘substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/falsified/ counterfeit (SSFFC) medical products’ is the terminology used in the resolution to assuage tensions over how best to refer to these products - and about the WHO’s connection to the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT), a controversial partnership supported by the pharmaceutical industry that has created unease among civil society groups in terms of its involvement with what they consider IP enforcement-related matters.

Chan nominated for second term as WHO chief

At the meeting, the Executive Board also nominated Chan for a second term as Director-General of the organisation. Chan was the only candidate proposed for the position.

This nomination is likely to be approved at the Sixty-fifth World Health Assembly, scheduled to meet in Geneva in May. If confirmed, Chan’s new term will begin on 1 July 2012 and continue until 30 June 2017.