The resolution, which promises to promote innovation and access to medicines and will help provide a framework for essential health research and development (R&D) in developing countries, was adopted at the 61st World Health Assembly on May 24.

It was drafted in 2006 by the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property and was designed to help promote R&D for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries.

After the resolution was passed, WHO director-general Margaret Chan remarked that with this development "public health leaps ahead in addressing two fundamental and long-standing needs: to improve access to existing interventions, and to include diseases of the poor in the drive to develop new products".

The global strategy outlines guidelines and incentives to address public health needs in developing countries.

Some of the recommendations are to find new ways of financing mechanisms to incentivize R&D and to provide support to governments for R&D.

The Strategy also calls for more new research into traditional medicines and lists some initiatives to promote technology transfer and collaborations between the public and private sectors.

The Biotechnology Industry Organization, which had representatives at this year's Assembly, said the Strategy was a positive step towards addressing the public health needs of developing countries.

"We appreciate the opportunity to illustrate how our industry can play a constructive and essential role in providing new, innovative medicines to developing countries. The release of the Global Strategy marks a milestone in bringing international attention to this important cause," said BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood Greenwood in a statement.

One of the clauses concerning IP rights said: "Noting that intellectual property rights are an important incentive for the development of new health-care products, this incentive alone does not meet the need for the development of new products to fight diseases where the potential paying market is small or uncertain."

James Love from Knowledge Ecology International said he was pleased that WHO had taken a step forward to change thinking about innovation and access to medicines.

He was particularly impressed with the emphasis on the need for a biomedical R&D treaty; the need for compulsory licensing; and the need for collective management of IP rights.

Tido von Schoen-Angerer, Director of Médecins sans Frontieres' Access to Essential Medicines Campaign, was also optimistic .

"What is encouraging is that governments have clearly called for the WHO to play a strategic and central role in intellectual property. Countries have pledged to give health interests the pre-eminence they deserve when considering how to manage IP," he said in a statement.

"We need more money for R&D, but money is not the only answer - we also need new models for incentivising the R&D and ensuring access to new drugs and diagnostics," added von Schoen-Angerer.

This year's Assembly was attended by 2,704 people from 190 countries.