Bayh-Dole and Transparency Projects--Quick Update

The Bayh-Dole and Transparency projects have proven incredibly interesting.  Our goals for the Bayh-Dole project include a symposium that will offer informed and reasoned discussion on Bayh-Dole (more on the symposium below) and a final report evaluating the successes and failures of the model, new models to improve public health through the better management of publicly funded research, and key elements of model legislation that can be followed instead of the current Bayh-Dole model.  Research on the Bayh-Dole project is already underway on a variety of topics including background information, Bayh-Dole's creation, the legislative history of the Act, the march-in rights clause, and some alternative models and current thinking surrounding the relationship between intellectual property rights and access to medicines.  

In addition to the work done in preparation for the final report, we have also recently amended UAEM's original white paper regarding India's Bayh-Dole Bill which is available here and has been submitted to the Indian Parliament.  Because India is already considering making revisions to the Bill, we also have written comments on the proposed changes, directed at India's Ministry of Science and Technology.  

We have filled three internship slots this summer!  Two of these interns will be located in our Oakland, California office and will primarily work on Bayh-Dole and transparency issues.  Both interns are first-year law students and we're happy to have them on board.  We have also partnered with MSF India's Access to Medicines campaign and will have an intern located in Delhi, India for the summer.  We found a great person to fill this slot -- Aria Ilyad Ahmad -- a student in the faculty of pharmacy at University of Toronto and a committed UAEM member.  UAEM is extremely excited to have these three interns help us with our projects.

Speaking of India, we have decided to hold our Bayh-Dole symposium in Delhi, tentatively scheduled for the month of October.  As we put together our agenda for the meeting, we hope to have a mix of presentations, panels, and group discussions that will help inform the discussion surrounding Bayh-Dole and Bayh-Dole analogues.  The symposium invitees will include fantastic scholars, policy-makers and civil society members from North America, Asia, Africa and South America.  

If you want further details about these projects or would like to offer suggestions, comments or assistance, please feel free to contact me at krista.cox@essentialmedicine.org