PhRMA Delivers Request on Global Patent Barriers to U.S. Trade Representative

PhRMA called on the U.S. trade representative to assess threats and barriers to intellectual property in 18 countries, and to focus in particular on China, India, Colombia, and Canada.

The association submitted a 171-page request ahead of the USTR’s annual Special 301 report, which identifies international trade barriers involving copyrights, patents and trademarks, and prioritizes countries on watch lists.

The main issues facing drugmakers are patent backlogs that can last years, restrictive criteria for patentability, and weak enforcement, as well as failure to protect regulatory data, PhRMA said. Other issues cited included governments granting licenses to produce a product without the consent of the patent owner.