Submission to the Pharmaceutical Patents Review Draft Report

This letter to IP Australia responds to the Pharmaceutical Patents Review draft report, commenting on the principles of the intellectual property (IP) system as they apply to pharmaceuticals. Research Australia notes that Australia’s pharmaceutical industry has grown by 12% a year over the past 20 years to become one of the largest manufacturing export sectors, and maintains that a strong IP system is central to that success. It supports the existing patent extension system and opposes linking the extension period to expiry dates in other countries. It maintains for comparisons with major partners such as the United States and Europe rather than India, and rejects characterising the premium paid for patented medicines as a government subsidy to pharmaceutical companies.