Pharmaceutical Drugs
Breaking the Fall Off the Patent Cliff: Can Developing Countries Help Big Pharma?
Expiring patents are expected to contribute billions of dollars towards the loss of revenue of drug manufacturers in the years to come. To save itself from falling off the patent cliff, Big Pharma needs to restock its R&D shelves in a cost-effective manner. Aside from developing niche products like biologics and acquiring companies with promising drugs […]
A Cautionary Kudos: Canada Moves Up on USTR IP Watch List
Earlier this month, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) released its annual “Special 301 Report,” which evaluates the intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and enforcement of its trading partners. Over the last few years, Canada has been listed on the “Priority Watch List”, which is reserved for countries that have the most deficient IP protection […]
Canada Responds to “Emergencies” with Updated Drug Regulations
Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. The Canada Gazette published amendments to the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations, which include much-anticipated provisions for Extraordinary Use New Drugs (EUNDS). This addition is aimed at empowering Canada to prevent and respond to the threat of disease outbreaks and align its approach […]
Election Drum Beats the Life Out of Access to Medicines Bill
Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. Among the nearly 500 bills that died with the end of the 40th Canadian Parliament last Friday was Bill C-393, Canada’s Act to amend the Patent Act. The bill proposes to modify Canada’s Access to Medicines Regime (CAMR), itself an amendment to the Patent […]
Big Losses Loom for Big Pharma
Dan Whalen is a JD candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. The New York Times reported that many of the major players in the global pharmaceutical industry are set to lose exclusive rights to 10 blockbuster drugs of combined annual sales close to US$50 billion. No mere fluke, this news marks the beginning of an […]
Efficacy of TRIPS public health amendment raises concern at the WTO
Nirav Bhatt is an LLM candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. WTO members on 2 March 2010, debated the question of whether a 2003 decision designed to improve access to medicines is working. Although opinions expressed in the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council varied, members agreed that they should look at real-life […]
Pooling patents for HIV drugs: A paradigm shift
Nirav Bhatt is an LLM candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School. According to a report, AIDS, which is caused due to Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) killed more than 25 million people worldwide from 1981 to 2006. Already, over six million people with HIV/AIDS are dying because they have no access to lifesaving medicines. The current […]
Federal Court Ruling Upholds Data Protection Period for Research-Based, Innovative Drug Companies
The period of data protection allocated to research-based, innovative drug companies is a hotly debated topic in the pharmaceutical industry and beyond. This period of protection allows research-based, brand name drug companies to maintain a monopoly on the market for any particular drug for a specified duration. During the period of data protection, competing generic drug […]