Australian govt details another review on patents

The Australian government has announced the commission of an expert panel to review the “appropriateness of the extension arrangements for pharmaceutical patents.” This review is part of a broad range of measures the government is undertaking to scrutinise the Australian patent system, which earlier this week the trade group Medicines Australia said should be an opportunity to consider longer patent terms, especially for pharmaceutical products (The Pharma Letter October 16).

A media release announcing the review said the “Australian government is taking practical steps to ensure access to affordable medicines while fostering innovation and research.”

With intellectual property protections the foundation stone of innovation, AusBiotech is keen to see the Australian patent system for medicines and medical technologies harmonised with other key jurisdictions and provisions in countries that are Australia’s key trading partners. Amongst the options to do this is the option to introduce longer initial patent periods, which would provide greater certainty to industry and the government – and reduce the need for extension periods.