A PYMNTS Company

Canada: Bureau addresses pharmaceutical IP spats

By  |  September 23, 2014

Canada’s Competition Bureau has addressed growing concerns across the globe over the pharmaceutical industry’s use of patents to block competition, and its Commissioner, John Pecman, outlined how Canada will tackle the issue.

Pecman spoke at a conference this week on the topic of Global Antitrust Challenges for the Pharmaceutical Industry, focusing on the issue of patent litigation settlement agreements that delay the entry of cheaper, generic drugs. The agreements are known as pay-for-delay deals.

Pecman announced a white paper, “Patent Litigation Settlement Agreements: A Canadian Perspective” to address the role of the Bureau in the matter.

The Commissioner said the Bureau would review potentially anticompetitive pay-for-delay deals with a strong emphasis on blocking any abuse of dominance.

Full content: EIN News

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.