Latest
October 15, 2020
15 October 2020, Johannesburg – The Fix the Patent Laws Coalition (FTPL), a group of over 40 organisations working to reform South Africa’s patent laws, welcomes the progressive proposal by South Africa and India for a waiver of all intellectual property in respect of COVID-19 related diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. We have seen how a […]
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May 20, 2020
The letter reproduced below was sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 19 May 2020 by more than 80 leading academics, researchers and teachers in South Africa. They urge the President to urgently reform South Africa’s patent laws and take further steps to ensure access to COVID-19 related health products. The original letter can be accessed […]
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May 18, 2020
Johannesburg, 18th May — In a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa published today, the Fix the Patent Laws (FTPL) coalition outlined major concerns about South Africa’s ability to access future treatments or vaccines for COVID-19. They point out that the country’s outdated patent laws ensure that when effective treatments become available, they will likely be too […]
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April 20, 2020
This article was originally published in Spotlight here. 20th April 2020 | Prof Yousuf Vawda and Prof Brook K. Baker The path to patent law reform in South Africa has been long and arduous. But the need for finalisation of legislation is now even more urgent given the COVID-19 pandemic and the expected rush to […]
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April 15, 2020
This article was originally published on Spotlight here. 15th April 2020 | Catherine Tomlinson Around the turn of the century developing countries, led by African countries, dramatically fought for and won safeguards to promote access to medicines in international trade law. These safeguards are now being heralded by lawmakers around the world as critical legal […]
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July 9, 2019
Johannesburg (9 July 2019) — It was announced today that lenalidomide, a lifesaving medicine to treat multiple myeloma, has been included on the latest edition of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Essential Medicines List (EML). Welcoming the inclusion of lenalidomide on the list, among 5 new cancer medicines, the Fix the Patent Laws campaign (a […]
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June 13, 2019
Contact: Ngqabutho Mpofu (Treatment Action Campaign): 27 61 807 6443| ngqabutho.mpofu@tac.org.za Lotti Rutter (Health GAP): +27 82 065 5842| lotti@healthgap.org (Durban, South Africa)— Today activists stormed the corporate stall of multinational pharmaceutical company Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) at the 9th South African AIDS Conference. The activists demanded that Janssen urgently drop the price of […]
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April 24, 2019
Today, Fix the Patent Laws is launching a report of findings from an analysis of tuberculosis research and development (R&D) underway in South Africa. The analysis was conducted to gain greater insight into the TB innovation landscape in South Africa, the role of public financing in driving and supporting innovation, as well as expectations of […]
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April 16, 2019
Statement from 64 civil society organisations and coalitions ahead of the second meeting of the Fair Pricing Forum, hosted by the World Health Organization and South African government April 11-13th in Johannesburg. The Fair Pricing Forum will ask what is a fair price for a medicine? We accept that different stakeholders will have different understandings […]
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October 24, 2018
Johannesburg, 24 October 2018 – This week South Africa is hosting a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) conference titled “Respect for IP – Growing from the Tip of Africa. Amongst others this conference will discuss “how intellectual property crime can be treated with higher priority by police authorities to ensure the safety of the public.” […]
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Globally people are suffering and dying needlessly because governments are unable to afford to buy medicines to save their lives. It is time to Fix the Patent Laws to save our lives!
Latest
Fix the Patent Laws Coalition supports South Africa and India’s proposal to facilitate access to COVID-19 vaccines
15 October 2020, Johannesburg – The Fix the Patent Laws Coalition (FTPL), a group of over 40 organisations working to reform South Africa’s patent laws, welcomes the progressive proposal by South Africa and India for a waiver of all intellectual property in respect of COVID-19 related diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. We have seen how a […]
READ MOREMore than 80 academics, researchers and teachers call on President Ramaphosa to Fix the Patent Laws
The letter reproduced below was sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa on 19 May 2020 by more than 80 leading academics, researchers and teachers in South Africa. They urge the President to urgently reform South Africa’s patent laws and take further steps to ensure access to COVID-19 related health products. The original letter can be accessed […]
READ MORESouth Africa’s patent laws threaten access to future COVID-19 medicines
Johannesburg, 18th May — In a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa published today, the Fix the Patent Laws (FTPL) coalition outlined major concerns about South Africa’s ability to access future treatments or vaccines for COVID-19. They point out that the country’s outdated patent laws ensure that when effective treatments become available, they will likely be too […]
READ MORECOVID-19: The time for procrastination over patents is over
This article was originally published in Spotlight here. 20th April 2020 | Prof Yousuf Vawda and Prof Brook K. Baker The path to patent law reform in South Africa has been long and arduous. But the need for finalisation of legislation is now even more urgent given the COVID-19 pandemic and the expected rush to […]
READ MORECOVID-19: Patent victories from HIV fight are now more relevant than ever
This article was originally published on Spotlight here. 15th April 2020 | Catherine Tomlinson Around the turn of the century developing countries, led by African countries, dramatically fought for and won safeguards to promote access to medicines in international trade law. These safeguards are now being heralded by lawmakers around the world as critical legal […]
READ MOREMinister Mkhize must ensure access to cancer medicine that WHO now considers “essential”
Johannesburg (9 July 2019) — It was announced today that lenalidomide, a lifesaving medicine to treat multiple myeloma, has been included on the latest edition of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Essential Medicines List (EML). Welcoming the inclusion of lenalidomide on the list, among 5 new cancer medicines, the Fix the Patent Laws campaign (a […]
READ MOREActivists demand Johnson & Johnson drop the price of vital TB medicine bedaquiline
Contact: Ngqabutho Mpofu (Treatment Action Campaign): 27 61 807 6443| ngqabutho.mpofu@tac.org.za Lotti Rutter (Health GAP): +27 82 065 5842| lotti@healthgap.org (Durban, South Africa)— Today activists stormed the corporate stall of multinational pharmaceutical company Janssen Pharmaceuticals (a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson) at the 9th South African AIDS Conference. The activists demanded that Janssen urgently drop the price of […]
READ MORETuberculosis innovation approaches in South Africa and strategies to secure public returns
Today, Fix the Patent Laws is launching a report of findings from an analysis of tuberculosis research and development (R&D) underway in South Africa. The analysis was conducted to gain greater insight into the TB innovation landscape in South Africa, the role of public financing in driving and supporting innovation, as well as expectations of […]
READ MORENo fair prices for medicine without access and transparency
Statement from 64 civil society organisations and coalitions ahead of the second meeting of the Fair Pricing Forum, hosted by the World Health Organization and South African government April 11-13th in Johannesburg. The Fair Pricing Forum will ask what is a fair price for a medicine? We accept that different stakeholders will have different understandings […]
READ MOREWIPO conference an insult to people who died of AIDS
Johannesburg, 24 October 2018 – This week South Africa is hosting a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) conference titled “Respect for IP – Growing from the Tip of Africa. Amongst others this conference will discuss “how intellectual property crime can be treated with higher priority by police authorities to ensure the safety of the public.” […]
READ MORE