Public procurement of pharmaceuticals and the patent system, the first date of a stormy relationship?
P ublic procurement of medicines has proven to be a tricky business. A co-operation between the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFMPA), the global trade association representing the research-based pharmaceutical industry, was launched on the 25 th of September 2018. This new initiative, the Patent Information Initiative for Medicines (Pat-INFORMED), is a database through which patent holders provide information about patents covering approved medicines. The database does not only constitute a database of information but also a communication platform between procurement agencies and pharmaceutical companies. WIPO is hosting the database and providing the resources to ensure its continued development, while IFPMA is working closely with the 20 leading research-based biopharmaceutical companies that have backed this initiative to help ensure a consistent and coordinated approach. "WIPO...