Writing in an Al Jazeera opinion piece, Margaret Flowers, a board member of Healthcare-Now, co-director of It’s Our Economy and co-host of Clearing the FOG Radio Show, says that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, currently being “secretly negotiated” among the U.S. and Pacific Rim nations “is a major power…

On Sunday at the opening of the 7th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2013) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, IAS 2013 International Chair and IAS President Françoise Barré-Sinoussi said, “[S]tigma and discrimination are still amongst the key barriers” to people living with HIV receiving early…

“The leaders of three top international organizations in Geneva last week discussed synergies in public health and called for increased collaboration and creativity to [improve] medical innovation,” Intellectual Property Watch reports. “The directors general of the WHO, World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization addressed the [July 5] opening…

“Through their engagement, and their tax dollars, Americans help millions of disadvantaged people around the world by providing access to medical care and essential drugs,” Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), who is a physician and co-chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, writes in a Roll Call opinion piece. “Unfortunately, we are…

Reuters: South Africa slams Big Pharma in generic drugs row “South Africa on Friday slammed global drug firms over a covert campaign against its planned overhaul of intellectual property laws to favor cheaper generic drugs, accusing pharmaceutical companies of a ‘satanic’ plot to commit ‘genocide.’ … South Africa is in…

The Center for Global Health Policy’s blog “Science Speaks” reports on a proposal prepared by U.S.-based PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America) and the South Africa-based IPASA (Innovative Pharmaceutical Association South Africa) in response to the South African government’s Draft National Policy on Intellectual Property (IP). The “proposal says…

Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) features an archived webcast from September 5 of “a short preview and discussion of [the new documentary] ‘Fire In The Blood’ and current U.S. government trade and global health policies, with expert panelists, including the film’s director, as they examine this history and explain…

“Amid looming uncertainty, trade ministers and officials from 159 countries Tuesday began formal negotiations at the [World Trade Organization (WTO)] ministerial meeting [in Bali] in a bid to reach consensus on issues such as food security and trade facilitation,” Zee News reports. “India, which is an important member of the…

“The World Trade Organization’s [WTO] ninth ministerial meeting at Bali, Indonesia, has morphed into a fierce battle between the countries seeking social safety nets for hundreds of millions of poor people and those insisting on having advanced import-facilitation programs in the developing countries on par with the industrialized nations,” Inter…

“A consensus still eludes the 159 member nations of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on issues of trade facilitation and food subsidy on the final day of the ninth ministerial talks of the group,” the Financial Express reports. “After hectic parleys with India and the U.S. that lasted until early…