Building A Consensus To Address The Health Threat Posed By Fake Medicines 25/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On the eve of a meeting of the WHO working group on substandard/spurious/falsely-labelled/falsified/counterfeit medical products, research-based pharmaceutical industry group IFPMA sets out thoughts on building global consensus to address fake medicines.
Stronger IP Rights In EU-Korea FTA: Precedent For Future FTAs? 20/02/2011 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 9 Comments A European Parliament majority this week approved a free trade agreement with Korea with strong provisions on intellectual property rights protection, according to Robert Stury, rapporteur of the lead EP Committee on the dossier.
Pharma Lawyer Is New Deputy Director At USPTO 17/02/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A Washington intellectual property lawyer and private sector representative has been named deputy director at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Her area of expertise is pharmaceutical, biotechnology and other life science issues.
Brazil And The Defence Of Public Health: Do As I Say, Not As I Do 17/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A recent decision issued by Advocacia-Geral da União (Advocacy-General of the Union) restricts the role performed by Anvisa – the National Agency for Health Surveillance – in examining pharmaceutical patent applications. This may represent a huge setback for commitments made by Brazilian government related to the protection of public health, writes Felipe Carvalho.
Obama 2012 Budget Proposal Reduces Exclusivity For Biologics 16/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Shortly after passage last year of the US healthcare reform act called for a regulatory pathway to bring follow-on biologic drugs, or biosimilars, to market with 12 years of data exclusivity for brand-name producers, the Obama administration has proposed to reduce that time to its original 7 years, according to sources. The move, contained in the 2012 budget proposal, is expected to allow lower priced generic versions of drugs to enter the market sooner, a benefit to consumers.
WTO GI Discussions Gather Speed, Parties Watchful Until Negotiations 15/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The international protection of wines and spirits named after geographical locations has seen renewed attention at the World Trade Organization since the beginning of the year as part of a push to conclude the Doha Round of trade liberalisation. Legal effects and costs of a register for such wines and spirits were addressed last week.
USPTO Requests Budget Increase, Expects Rise In Applications 15/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office yesterday submitted a request to the US Congress for a budget increase in 2012 on expectations of a rise in patent and trademark applications and promises of reductions in application processing times.
Study: Boon Of Drugs, Vaccines From Public Research 11/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new study finds that publicly funded research has had a greater positive impact on public health than previously believed.
New White House IP Advisory Committees Elevate IP Enforcement To Highest Level 10/02/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments US President Barack Obama this week used an executive order to create two government advisory committees on intellectual property rights enforcement. The committees put IP rights at the highest interagency level possible and have the stated aim of promoting innovation through the protection of such rights.
Would Canada-EU Trade Proposals Add $2.8 Billion Price Tag To Drugs Bill? 08/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A study by the Canadian Generic Pharmaceuticals Association (CGPA) suggests that the European Union’s (EU) proposed changes to Canada’s patent system could add nearly $3 billion to Canada’s prescription drug bill.