Indonesia settles IP rights claim over H5N1 strains

A row over the intellectual property rights of avian bird flu samples has been resolved, after the World Health Organization agreed to the request by Indonesia's government that strains of the H5N1 avian influenza virus would be provided to the global health agency for diagnostic purposes only, and not shared with commercial entities, such as drugmakers.

Under an interim deal negotiated between the two parties, bird flu virus samples will be shared. Indonesia's Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said: "[the] WHO will send a letter which guarantees that virus samples sent by Indonesia will only be used for reassessment and not for commercial purposes." She added that drugmakers should contact the Indonesian government directly if they wish to obtain virus samples.

The problem arose when Ms Supari ordered the suspension of virus sample sharing with the WHO in protest at the agency's willingness to allow drugmakers access, which meant that Indonesian researchers received no credit for their work in indentifying the strain. The Chinese government also recently announced it would stop sharing avian flu strains with foreign entities for similar reasons.