GENEVA - At the request of the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has offered its expertise and technical input on patent issues as they relate to influenza viruses and their genes, a press release by WIPO stated.

A technical WIPO report on this question will serve as one input to WHO’s Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic Influenza Preparedness: Sharing of Influenza Viruses and Access to Vaccines and other Benefits, which will meet in Geneva from November 20-23, 2007.
 
WHO, as the lead international agency for public health matters, deals with a host of international issues relating to flu virus surveillance and the preparation and distribution of flu vaccines, and is coordinating the international response to the threat of a flu pandemic.

Earlier this year, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted a key resolution on “Pandemic influenza preparedness: sharing of influenza viruses and access to vaccines and other benefits” (WHA 60.28).

This resolution called for a study on “the patent issues related to influenza viruses and their genes” in the context of a broad set of actions for influenza pandemic preparedness, the sharing of influenza viruses, access to vaccines and other benefits.
 
The WIPO secretariat is assisting the WHO secretariat to help clarify relevant technical patent-related issues raised by the debate.

This is in line with WIPO’s cooperation responsibilities within the UN system, and the Organization being the UN specialized agency on Intellectual Property.

This work is undertaken by the program on life sciences established within WIPO to provide this kind of technical and practical support, including when it is sought by policymakers in other international bodies and processes.

WIPO’s technical work in this area is intended to be supportive of and responsive to the essential work undertaken by the WHO as the key agency on matters relating to public health.

source: ag-IP news