U.S. Lawmakers Asked to Better Monitor, Protect Overseas Patents

Congress and the U.S. Trade Representative need to do more to protect American biopharma patents abroad, an intellectual property (IP) expert tells Congress. Too often, foreign countries and their patent offices discriminate against American companies, giving preference to local applicants. To counter this, the U.S. could use trade agreements to ensure drugmakers’ IP rights are respected by restricting access to this country if others don’t comply, Roy Waldron, chief IP counsel at Pfizer, told a recent hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on IP. It could also encourage IP protection in international treaties.
Washington Drug Letter