UK-China BioPharma Innovation and IPR Seminar held in Beijing

October 25, 2008
The UK-China BioPharma Innovation and IPR Seminar was held in Beijing on October 15. It was sponsored by the UK Trade & Investment of the British Embassy to China and was supported by the China Center for Pharmaceutical International Exchange, the Beijing Pharma and Biotech Center, the Beijing Technology Exchange Center, and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce for Medicines and Health Products Imports and Exports.

The seminar was chaired by Mr. Alastair Morgan, a trade and investment counselor, Sir William Ehrman, the British ambassador to China, and Mr. Chang Yongheng, vice director of the China Center for Pharmaceutical International Exchange, each of whom gave opening speeches. Experts, scholars, officials, and entrepreneurs from the fields of biopharma and IPR protection presented special lectures and discussed current conditions, problems, and cooperation prospects for the two countries.

There were three main topics: 1) On the Way to BioPharma Innovation-Current Situation of IPR in China and the UK, 2) IPR Protection and Innovation, and 3) Protecting IPR (Enforcement). Mr. Thomas Pattloch, the IP Officer for the EU Delegation to Beijing, pointed out that the fast development of biopharma requires an ability to obtain patents quickly. While applying for a patent, the applicant should not only state his invention, but describe clearly its specific purpose, which is also the spirit of the European Patent Convention. As a representative of the Chinese side, Pan Aiqun, the person in charge of bio products in biopharma invention examinations for the State Intellectual Property Office, briefed participants on the differences in bio-technology patent examination between China and Europe, and answered biopharma-related IP questions in the third revision of China’s Patent Law.

In the discussions that followed, Wang Huqun, a professor from the Renmin University of China, spoke about the state of the health-care reform plan, which was released recently for public debate. He believes that the draft plan not only focuses on access to and the cost of medical resources, but is meant to address innovations in the medical industry as a whole. “Medicine is a special good that affects the general interests of society, and the draft demonstrates increased government attention to the trade, he said. Now we need a higher starting point to understand and encourage innovations, and to integrate all resources for industrial upgrades and IPR protection.”

　

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