PM wants pharma's patent waiver for another 15 yrs

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FE Report
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Monday urged the global patent watchdog to give another 15 years' waiver of Bangladeshi drugs for complying with the intellectual property rights regime.
The waiver, which helped boom the local generic drug production, is set to expire by 2016 and the Prime Minister said the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) should take steps to extend the exemption period, thus allowing the industry to maintain its growth momentum.
"I hope the waiver, which is expected to expire within a few years' time, will be extended by WIPO to another fifteen years for the interest of the LDCs," she said.
Her call came as she was opening a two-day regional forum on intellectual property at a city hotel where the head of the Geneva-based body was present.
Sheikh Hasina said the country has achieved phenomenal growth in the pharmaceuticals sector under the intellectual property rights waiver.
Bangladesh is exporting quality drugs to more than 70 countries across the world, including least developed countries, where manufacturing facilities are absent.
Hasina also sought WIPO's protection of the patent right of the gene sequencing of jute by Bangladeshis scientists.
She said a group of Bangladeshi scientists have decoded the genome sequence of jute.
Describing the recent innovation of decoding genome sequencing of jute as a "monumental" achievement, she said after the innovation the golden fibre of Bangladesh will now regain its past glory through genetic engineering.
Referring to climate change action plan adopted by Bangladesh to face the adverse impact of global warming, she said its successful implementation depends much on access to environment-friendly technologies.
"These technologies should, therefore, be kept outside the IP regime to make it affordable for LDCs," she added.
"Today, intellectual property goes beyond technical and legal issues and encompasses education, public health, national innovation strategies and climate change mitigation and adaptation," she said.
Appreciating WIPO's initiative that closely involves the private sector in providing the LDCs with free access to technology information, she said the WIPO needs to scale up its
LDC related activities such as capacity building, legal, reversal of brain drain, and development of sustainable research.
The Prime Minister urged the WIPO to promote these and other practical measures for bringing concrete benefits to the poor nations.
Sheikh Hasina said her government is working to build a "Digital Bangladesh" and turning it as a middle income country by 2021 through widespread utilisation of ICT and giving emphasis to intellectual property issues.
She also said her government is planning to formulate an IP policy aiming at fostering national innovation and creativity in an integrated manner.
The Prime Minister sought WIPO support in fostering development, fighting unemployment, alleviating poverty, attaining food security, and facing the impacts of climate change.
With Industries Minister Dilip Barua in the chair, Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad, Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni and director general of WIPO Dr Francis Gurry spoke on the occasion.