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China Steps Closer To Offering An SPC System

 
• By Aidan Fry

A recent public consultation raises the prospect of extending patent terms in China by up to five years; greater data protection, as well as patent linkage, are also being mooted.

GreatWall
Generics could soon face an additional barrier to entry in China in the form of supplementary protection certificates • Source: Shutterstock

Supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) have taken a step closer to being implemented in China after the National People’s Congress completed a one-month public consultation period on draft amendments to the Chinese Patent Law. The proposed amendments form part of a broader move towards stronger intellectual property (IP) protection in China that also includes pharmaceutical data exclusivity.

Acting on a State Council resolution, China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) proposed a general framework for patent linkage and...

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More from Legal & IP

US Court Agrees To Throw Out Viatris Wegovy Infringement Case

 
• By Dean Rudge

Viatris’ Mylan has won a key patent case against Novo Nordisk over generic Wegovy, with a US federal district judge ruling Mylan’s label did not encourage use that infringed Novo’s method-of-treatment patent.

Sun Strikes Further US Price-Fixing Settlement For $200m

 
• By Dave Wallace

The latest development in the long-running US generic price-fixing saga has seen Sun Pharma agree a $200m settlement in connection with an end purchaser action in Pennsylvania.

UK Xtandi Patent Stands Strong As Accord, Sandoz, Teva Lose Appeal

 
• By Dean Rudge

The Court of Appeal in London has upheld a key UK patent shielding Astellas’ Xtandi, rejecting claims by a trio of generic drugmakers that it was obvious after finding that the generics firms’ expert analysis was tainted by hindsight.

US Federal Circuit Clears Path for MSN to Market Entresto Generic

 
• By Dean Rudge

Novartis has failed to secure a court order to stop MSN from launching a generic Entresto, and has also seen an earlier temporary ban lifted, potentially opening the market to competition before a final decision on a US patent dispute.

More from Generics Bulletin

Sun Strikes Further US Price-Fixing Settlement For $200m

 
• By Dave Wallace

The latest development in the long-running US generic price-fixing saga has seen Sun Pharma agree a $200m settlement in connection with an end purchaser action in Pennsylvania.

Just One Week To Go! Entry Deadline Looms For GGB Awards 2025

 
• By Dave Wallace

There is now just one week left to submit entries to the Global Generics & Biosimilars Awards 2025, with the entry deadline set for August 1.

UK Xtandi Patent Stands Strong As Accord, Sandoz, Teva Lose Appeal

 
• By Dean Rudge

The Court of Appeal in London has upheld a key UK patent shielding Astellas’ Xtandi, rejecting claims by a trio of generic drugmakers that it was obvious after finding that the generics firms’ expert analysis was tainted by hindsight.