New Patents Database To Help Countries Improve Medicines Procurement

The international drug industry group, IFPMA, the World Intellectual Property Organization and 20 big pharmas have launched Pat-INFORMED, a new patent database that can be used by governments to improve their medicines procurement programs. The R&D-based industry says it clearly links public patent information to registered medicines in a new, user-friendly online gateway. However, the European generics industry body Medicines For Europe says the move amounts to "patent linkage" and will have anti-competitive effects for generics firms.