Warren Kaplan

Warren A. Kaplan, PhD, JD, MPH is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health at the Boston University School of Public Health, where he is a member of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center in Pharmaceutical Policy. His research focuses on pharmaceutical and legal policies related to health system strengthening and evaluations of medicines access and utilization. His current interests and expertise include intellectual property policy, antimicrobial resistance, medicines price analysis, generic medicines policies, quality use of medicines, access to medicines for non-communicable diseases and the role of the private sector to promote equitable access and efficient use of medicines in low and middle income countries. Dr. Kaplan has carried out cross-national comparison of medicines consumption and trade using sales and customs data bases to inform policy making about adequate use of insulin and other essential medicines. Between 1995 and 2001 he was Assistant General Counsel at Biogen, the pharmaceutical company in Cambridge Massachusetts and coordinated and established Biogen’s worldwide patent filings and all intellectual property related activities for: Biogen’s FDA approved psoriasis drug, including negotiating settlement of trademark disputes and collaborative R&D agreements between Biogen and third parties totaling about $100 M . He initiated and prepared due diligence reviews for 30 business opportunities and was responsible for $50-60M per year of Biogen’s R&D budget and advised Biogen on global intellectual property strategies. Between 2003-2004 Dr. Kaplan was Technical Officer at the World Health Organization Geneva, Switzerland in the Essential Drugs & Medicine/Policy, Access, Rational Use Priority Medicines Project. This was a $500,000 Dutch funded project given to the WHO which was designed to advise the European Union on best priorities for pharmaceutical R&D for the 7th EU Framework Program. Dr. Kaplan developed the methodology for uncovering research and market “gaps” in treatment for high and medium burden diseases and prepared several “state of the art” reviews of pharmaceutical “gaps” for cancer, HIV/AIDS, alcoholic liver disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Between 2007-2009, he also served as a WHO Technical Officer for the Priority Medical Devices Project- a $1,000,000 Dutch funded project given to the WHO- designed to advise the European Union on best priorities for R&D and access to medical devices in developing countries. Dr. Kaplan also helped to developed survey methodologies for uncovering research and market “gaps” in development and use of medical devices for high and medium burden diseases. He has worked as a technical adviser for various international organizations, among them the Doctors Without Borders, the Clinton Foundation, the Alliance for Health Systems and Policy Research, Health Action International. He has published widely in international peer review journals in science, law and public health such as Nature, The Lancet, World Health Organization Bulletin, Health Policy and Planning, Health Policy, PloS One, Tropical Medicine and International Health. He received his training as an ecologist and microbiologist from Boston University, his post-doctoral training in biogeochemistry from Harvard University, his law degree from Suffolk University and his MPH from Boston University.