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Uncertainty over pharmaceutical and biotech product patents in Pakistan

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Even after the enactment of a patent law in 2000, pharmaceutical and biotech-related inventions are perceived to lack strong product patent protection in Pakistan.

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Figure 1: Patent applications for NCEs filed during 2004–2010 by the leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies in Pakistan.

References

  1. PK Patents and Designs Act of 1911.

  2. PK Patents Ordinance (2000).

  3. PK Patents Ordinance, Section 15(8).

  4. PK Patents Ordinance, Section 8(1)–8(3)

  5. PK Patents Ordinance, Section 9.

  6. PK Patents Ordinance, Section 7(2)(e).

  7. Section 1(2)(a) of the UK Act 1977 and Art. 52(2) of EPC.

  8. See, for example, Genentech's (tPA) patent [(1989) RPC 147 203] and Genentech's (HGH) patent [(1989) RPC 613].

  9. EPO Guidelines part C, Chapter IV, 2.3.

  10. Biotechnology Directive, Recital 23.

  11. OJ EPO 293, 304, para 9 (2002).

  12. Biotechnology Directive, Recital 22.

  13. OJ EPO, 307, para 11(ii) (2002).

  14. Biotechnology Directive, Recital 24. See Chiron v. Murex FSR 153, 177 (1996).

  15. OJ EPO, 388 (1995).

  16. Genentech patent (1987) RPC 553, (1989) RPC 147 and 203.

  17. Monsanto Technology LLC v. Cefetra BV, Case C-428/08, (ECJ) July 06, 2010.

  18. Dir. 98/44/ EC, Art 8.

  19. Genentech v. Wellcome Foundation (1989) RPC 147, CA; DSM patent (2001) RPC 675 (under appeal); Biogen v. Medeva [1997] RPC 1, HL.

  20. Parke-Davis & Co. V.H.K Mulford & Co., 189 F. 95 (SDNY 1911), Aff'd, 196 F. 496 (2d Cir. 1912).

  21. Merck & Co. v. Olin Mathiesen Chemical Corp. 253 F. 2d 156 (4th Cir. 1958)

  22. OJ EPO, 388 (1995).

  23. Chiron Corp. v. Organon Teknika (1994) FSR 202 (Pat. Ct).

  24. Biogen v. Medeva (1995) RPC 25.

  25. (1987) RPC 553, (1989) RPC 147, CA.

  26. (1997) RPC 1, HL.

  27. Association for Molecular Pathology v. USPTO (Fed. Cir. 2011), 29 July 2011.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Saima Sadaf is at the Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.,

    Saima Sadaf

  2. Muhammad W. Akhtar is at the School of Biological Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan.,

    Muhammad W Akhtar

  3. Zarina Iqbal is at United Trademark and Patent Services, Lahore, Pakistan.,

    Zarina Iqbal

Authors
  1. Saima Sadaf
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  2. Muhammad W Akhtar
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  3. Zarina Iqbal
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Correspondence to Zarina Iqbal.

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Sadaf, S., Akhtar, M. & Iqbal, Z. Uncertainty over pharmaceutical and biotech product patents in Pakistan. Nat Biotechnol 30, 1198–1200 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt.2444

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