BRIEF—China progressing drug-related patent laws

China plans to introduce an early resolution mechanism, such as patent linkage, for drug patent disputes by the end of October this year, according to China’s intellectual property administration.

China has been improving drug-related patent laws in recent years, but it is the US-China trade war that expedited the process.

In the first stage agreement the two countries signed in January, China was required to build a patent linkage and patent term restoration system in the country.

China will also publish law enforcement on counterfeit drug crackdown by the end of July.