Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) officials are speaking out on intellectual property protection, saying it is key encouraging innovation of new medicines that could aid patients.
“PhRMA believes that strong intellectual property protection is necessary for the discovery and development of new treatments and therapies for the world’s patients," PhRMA President and CEO John Castellani said. “We are disappointed that the (Trans-Pacific Partnership trade) ministers failed to secure 12 years of data protection for biologic medicines, which represent the next wave of innovation in our industry. This term was not a random number, but the result of a long debate in Congress, which determined that this period of time captured the appropriate balance that stimulated research but gave access to biosimilars in a timely manner."
Castellani called the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade ministers' decision a "missed opportunity to encourage innovation that will lead to more important, life-saving medicines that would improve patients’ lives.”
