Whose Rules of the Game? Bioprospecting and Drug Research in Developing Countries

19 April 2005, United Nations Headquarters, New York

The discussions will address a number of critical questions, including:

• What are the optimal property rights definitions on access to genetic resources and traditional medicinal knowledge?
• How can these rights be defined so that they can be viably enforced?
• How do these rights and institutional mechanisms at national levels interact in shaping drug research and development based on genetic resources?
• What lessons can be learned from the economics of drug research and development for the optimal design of bioprospecting contracts?

Panelists:

- Padmashree Gehl Sampath, UNU-Institute for New Technologies;
- David Newman, US National Institutes of Health;
- Gordon Cragg, Former Director, Natural Products Drug Research, National Cancer Institute, US;
- A.H. Zakri, Director, UNU-Institute for Advanced Studies;
- Daniel Magraw, Executive Director, Centre for International Environmental Law, Washington;
- Philippe Cullet, Programme Director for Europe, International Environmental Law Research Centre, and Lecturer, SOAS, University of London.

Additional speakers will be drawn from Stanford University, Harvard Medical School, and other UN Organizations.

Related link : http://www.ony.unu.edu/seminars/2005/bioprospecting19april05.htm


Part one (Audio Only) 53 min.