U.S.: Patent protection is paramount in health
The New York Times
May 28, 2003
WHO Vows to Overhaul Health Regulations
By The Associated Press
Voicing its alarm at the spread of the SARS virus, the World Health Organization vowed to overhaul outdated international health regulations to deal more effectively with epidemics and the threat of bioterrorism.
“The current regulations are obviously insufficient in view of today’s rapid, high-volume migration, emerging infections and the threats of bio-terrorism,” said U.S. delegate David Hohman. But he stressed that the new rules should represent a “careful balance among disease containment efforts, respect for individual liberties, and a nation’s right to engage in international commerce.”
The debate on intellectual property was the most divisive of WHO’s 10-day assembly, which ends Wednesday. It pitted the United States, which insists that patent protection is paramount in encouraging innovation and new drugs, against developing countries led by Brazil, which argued that health should be given priority over trade.
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-UN-Health.html
Comment: Is the quest for mega-wealth the only motivating factor that drives innovation and new drug development? Maybe we should ask the tens of thousands of dedicated employees and grantees of the National Institutes of Health.
It is instructive to see what the mission statement of NIH says about health and about trade:
The NIH mission is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. NIH works toward that mission by: * conducting research in its own laboratories; * supporting the research of non-Federal scientists in universities, medical schools, hospitals, and research institutions throughout the country and abroad; * helping in the training of research investigators; and * fostering communication of medical information.
http://www.nih.gov/about/NIHoverview.html
Should our national and international health care policies be guided predominantly by intellectual property and trade issues, or by priorities of health? The NIH and the Bush administration seem to have a disconnect on these priorities.