There is no time more opportune to review the workings of the International Health Regulations (IHR) than the present COVID-19 crisis. This article analyses the theoretical and practical aspects of international public health law (IPHL), particularly the IHR, to argue that it is woefully unprepared to protect human rights in times of a global public health crisis. To rectify this, the article argues that the IHR should design effective risk reduction and response strategies by incorporating concepts from international disaster law (IDL). Along similar lines, this article suggests that IDL also has a lot to learn from IPHL in terms of greater internationalisation and institutionalisation. Institutionalisation of IDL on par with IPHL will provide it with greater legitimacy, transparency and accountability. This article argues that greater cross-pollination of ideas between IDL and IPHL is necessary in order to make these disciplines more relevant for the future.

This article aims to analyse the working of patent requirements under Indian patent law. A patent working requirement generally entails that the patentee must work or apply the patented product in the patent granting country. This article evaluates the compatibility of the patent working requirement with the TRIPS Agreement from the perspective of international human rights law. A human rights approach suggests that the rights of the patentee must be reconciled with the interests of the general public. In such pursuance, this article argues that there is a need to recalibrate the patent working requirement under the Indian law to strike a right balance between the rights of the patentee and the public interest. Particularly, this article argues that India must modify the present patent working disclosure requirements to ensure that foreign patentees are able to do business in India without bureaucratic hassles.

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