Alan Adcock, partner and deputy director of Tilleke & Gibbins’ intellectual property and regulatory affairs group, Dr. Jakkrit Kuanpoth, of counsel in the firm’s intellectual property group, and Dr. Atthachai Homhuan, manager in the firm’s regulatory affairs group, were recently interviewed by Asia IP for an article entitled, “Best Feature: The Shape of Pharma,” which covers pharmaceutical patent protection and challenges in the Asian region.
In the article, Alan highlighted that it is important for innovators to prepare risk management plans (RMP) for effective patent protection. He said, “The RMP provides a guideline for when and how a company should conduct prosecution of their invention patent applications, review their applications and patent portfolio, and identify the different weaknesses and strengths of their invention patents.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Jakkrit urged patent holders to regularly monitor for infringing activities to protect their patent rights. “During the life of a patent, the drug patent holder should closely monitor for infringing activities, including vigilant monitoring the Thai Food and Drug Administration’s website for generic pharmaceutical product applications,” he explained.
Dr. Atthachai highlighted the benefits of building a patent portfolio so that pharmaceutical companies can understand and manage their valuable patents. He said, “The integration of a patent portfolio into its business strategy will provide a company with a number of commercial advantages, and provide different channels for fulfilment of business objectives, whether, in M&A, diversification of business units, or licensing of IP technology.”
Alan concluded by sharing that pharmaceutical market growth is shifting toward emerging markets in Asia, including Thailand, where legislative reforms by the Thai government have helped clear the backlog of pharmaceutical patents and improved drug registration processes, making the country increasingly attractive for the pharmaceutical industry.
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