Anna – I don’t know much about patent law, either, but this new group caught my eye because I just heard about something called Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, which I think you might find interesting. UAEM is a grassroots organization working to ensure that university-developed biomedical end products, such as drugs and medical technologies, are made accessible to those in resource-poor nations and to increase the amount of research conducted on neglected diseases. According to the WHO, approximately 10 million people die needlessly each year because they lack access to existing medicines and vaccines, sometimes because of licensing and patenting issues.

UAEM is comprised of chapters at over 40 major research universities, medical, and law schools throughout the United States and Canada. Students in these chapters coordinate events to educate others at their schools on the current gap in access to medicines. They also work with their respective universities to help construct licensing terms and policy documents that work toward improving global public health. (I only know this because a chapter will be re-established in my hometown this fall, at the University of California, San Diego.)

Perhaps the legal experts (or anyone else) could comment on the ins and outs of the accessibility issue and groups like UAEM? It all sounds great, but I’d like to learn more about this issue before joining any sort of “movement”!