Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation: Intersections between Public Health, Intellectual Property and Trade

A World Trade Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, and World Health Organization publication


Access to essential medicines and the lack of research to address neglected diseases have long been major concerns for health care professionals. More recently, the focus of health policy debate has broadened to consider how to promote innovation and ensure equitable access to all vital medical technologies: medicines, vaccines, and medical devices.


Today's policymakers need a clear understanding both of the innovation processes that lead to new technologies and the ways in which these technologies are disseminated. This book captures a broad range of experience and data in dealing with the interplay between intellectual property, trade rules, and the dynamics of access to, and innovation in, medical technologies.


The study is intended to inform ongoing technical cooperation activities undertaken by the WTO, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and the World Health Organization, and to support policy discussions. Based on many years of field experience in technical cooperation, it has been prepared to serve the needs of policymakers who seek a comprehensive presentation of the full range of issues, as well as lawmakers, government officials, delegates to international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and researchers.