Intellectual property, commercial needs and humanitarian benefits: must there be a conflict?

'By far the best proof is experience,' wrote Francis Bacon. Given the experience of countries - both developing and developed - that have used intellectual property (IP), IP protection and IP management to stimulate innovation, there is ample proof that good IP management has benefited multitudes of people around the world with new technologies, products and services. Innovations in health and agriculture have greatly enriched lives. But does this experience apply to all countries? If the best proof is experience, then what can be said authoritatively about the effects of using IP systems wisely in developing countries?

The introduction of new vaccines into developing countries. IV: Global Access Strategies.

This paper offers a framework for managing a comprehensive Global Access Strategy for new vaccines in developing countries. It is aimed at strengthening the ability of public-sector entities to reach their goals. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Rockefeller Foundation have been leaders in stimulating the creation of new organizations - public/private product development partnerships (PDPs) - that seek to accelerate vaccine development and distribution to meet the health needs of the world's poor. Case studies of two of these PDPs - the Salmonella Anti-pneumococcal Vaccine Program and the Pediatric Dengue Vaccine Initiative - examine development of such strategies. Relying on the application of innovation theory, the strategy leads to the identification of six Components of Innovation which cover all aspects of the vaccine innovation process. Appropriately modified, the proposed framework can be applied to the development and introduction of other products in developing countries including drugs, and nutritional and agricultural products.

Health innovation networks to help developing countries address neglected diseases.

Gross inequities in disease burden between developed and developing countries are now the subject of intense global attention. Public and private donors have marshaled resources and created organizational structures to accelerate the development of new health products and to procure and distribute drugs and vaccines for the poor. Despite these encouraging efforts directed primarily from and funded by industrialized countries, sufficiency and sustainability remain enormous challenges because of the sheer magnitude of the problem. Here we highlight a complementary and increasingly important means to improve health equity: the growing ability of some developing countries to undertake health innovation.