What is the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG)?

The Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (IGWG) was created by the 2006 World Health Assembly (WHA), the annual meeting of the member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO). The resolution creating the working group focuses on the fact that current medical research and development (R&D) often fails to address the needs of developing countries, and that even when products exist poor populations struggle to access them. The IGWG’s mandate is to draft a plan of action to secure an enhanced and sustainable basis for needs-driven essential health R&D relevant to diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries. The plan is to be submitted to the WHA in May 2008.

Advancing Innovation and Access to Medicines

The IGWG is seeking to promote ideas that advance both innovation and access (I&A), rather than treating these two public health imperatives as contradictory objectives that must be counterbalanced to each other.

One particular idea that the IGWG is exploring is the idea of a prize fund for neglected diseases. Under this concept, a prize fund would be established to incentivize R&D in certain areas of research. Prizes would be allocated based on demonstrated health benefits of new innovations, recognizing that many parties may contribute to the development of a new product. The prize award would replace patents as an incentive for R&D, and products supported by this mechanism would be made available immediately in low-cost, generic form.

Both brand-name pharmaceutical companies and public health advocates are beginning to embrace this idea. The drug companies recognize that the monopolies conferred by patents are of little value for patient populations that have minimal purchasing power. Health advocates are enthused about a system that supports new product development for neglected diseases and ensures that the resulting products are available at the most affordable prices possible.

IGWG Structure and Process

The IGWG is open to representatives from all WHO member states. Its functioning is facilitated by the Secretariat on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (PHI), which draws on key WHO staff. One of the first activities undertaken was to consult with a wide group of stakeholders via web-based public hearings in November 2006. The hearings resulted in submissions from industry, governments, academia, public-private partnerships, product-development partnerships and public health groups. The first official session of the IGWG was held in December 2006. It involved the participation of delegates from more than 100 countries (including the United States) and experts from civil society and academia. Delegates considered and decided upon the key elements of a draft plan of action and global strategy. The IGWG will convene again in 2007, hopefully to finalize the strategy and plan so that it can be presented to the WHA for consideration in May 2008.

Key Elements of the IGWG Global Strategy and Plan of Action

The IGWG has identified eight principle elements that will form the basis of negotiations towards a global strategy and plan of action:

• Prioritizing research and development needs - Developing methods to identify gaps in research on neglected diseases (those that disproportionately affect developing countries).

• Promoting research and development - Facilitating the discovery, development and delivery of products for diseases affecting developing countries.

• Building and improving innovative capacity - Encouraging the development of new and sustainable methods of fostering innovation within developing countries.

• Transfer of technology - Addressing the inadequate capacity and skill in developing countries to adopt and develop new technologies for discovery, development, manufacturing and delivery of products.

• Management of intellectual property (IP) - Addressing the need to develop capacity for management of IP and technologies in developing countries, so that the goals of innovation and access are both furthered.

• Improving delivery and access - Governments need to invest appropriately if existing and new products (including drugs and vaccines) are to be made available and accessible.

• Ensuring sustainable financing mechanisms - Ongoing funding or incentive structures that will generate lasting or ongoing investment must be developed to address the health needs of developing countries.

• Establishing monitoring and reporting systems - Systems need to be developed that can monitor the impact on innovation, access to medicines and other health-care products of multilateral trade agreements; to measure the performance and progress towards objectives in the IGWG’s plan of action; and to monitor and evaluate relevant programs.

For more information contact: Sarah Rimmington at srimmington@essentialinformation.org or (202) 387-8030