Business Wire

IFPMA

Share
WIPO and IFPMA Launch New Online Patent-Search Resource to Help Health Agencies Procure Medicines

WIPO and the research-based pharmaceutical industry today launched a new online tool designed to help procurement agencies better understand the global patent status of medicines.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180925005088/en/

The Patent Information Initiative for Medicines (Pat-INFORMED) is a unique resource where patent holders provide information about patents covering approved medicines through a free, open access database.

This new public database became operational today, along with a platform where procurement agencies can make direct enquiries to companies.

Pat-INFORMED is a partnership between WIPO and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, IFPMA, the global trade association representing the research-based pharmaceutical industry. Pat-INFORMED originated in the industry’s efforts to add clarity to patent information about medicines. WIPO’s globally recognized expertise in the organization and public dissemination of patent data will make an important contribution to the accessibility of patent information.

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 is committed to increasing the transparency of the patent system and ensuring it works to benefit humankind. As a public-private partnership focusing on access to key patent information, Pat-INFORMED will facilitate the procurement of important medicines and thereby support better health outcomes for people across the globe. Such partnerships are critical to success in the field of public health," said WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. “WIPO is pleased to be contributing its extensive expertise in making complex patent information simpler and more accessible and looks forward to further collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry to ensure the success of this initiative.”

While information about patent applications and grants reside in the public domain, resources that directly link patents to medicines already on the market are scarce and limited. Tools that directly link granted patents to medicines are only available publicly in certain countries (e.g. the USA’s ‘Orange Book’) or through private third-party databases. Pat-INFORMED aims to help close these gaps and make patent research easier, faster and more accessible to a wider array of health workers.

Importantly, Pat-INFORMED also offers procurement agencies a direct communication channel for follow-on enquiries to participating companies. Each of the participating companies, currently 20, has agreed to engage in discussions with official procurement agencies that are seeking more detailed information about granted patents on specific products.

So far, Pat-INFORMED houses information on over 14,000 individual patents, for 600 patent families and 169 INNs, unique names that are globally recognized and used to identify pharmaceutical substances or active pharmaceutical ingredients within medicines that cover a wide range of conditions.

“This initiative is a practical way of reducing the complexity around access to patent information, something health experts have long been calling for. By easing access to patent information for public health authorities, Pat-INFORMED can help them take more informed decisions about procurement options available to them, and will be an important contribution to global health,” said Thomas Cueni, Director General IFPMA. “The task of retrieving and uploading over 14,000 individual national patents has been considerable; but now that the process and platform are in place, I’m confident that we can continue to increase the database’s scope to more INNs than the current 160.”

“More-efficient procurement processes save lives by getting medicines to people more quickly,” said Wesley Kreft, Director, Global Supply Chain, i+solutions, a Netherlands-based not-for-profit organization specializing in medical supply chain management for developing countries, including many recipients of Global Fund grants. Speaking of his work, Mr. Kreft said: “Pat-INFORMED has the potential to reduce by 30 percent the time required to procure medicines for low and middle income countries.”

Pat-INFORMED features patent information for small molecule drugs within oncology; hepatitis C, cardiovascular, HIV, diabetes, and respiratory therapy areas; and any products on the WHO Essential Medicines List that are not within these therapy areas. In a second phase, the initiative will extend to all therapeutic areas and explore the inclusion of complex therapeutics.

The launch took place at an event on the sidelines of the 2018 Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO.

About WIPO

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the global forum for intellectual property policy, services, information and cooperation. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 191 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society's evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.

About IFPMA

IFPMA represents research-based pharmaceutical companies and associations across the globe. The research-based pharmaceutical industry's two million employees discover, develop, and deliver medicines and vaccines that improve the lives of patients worldwide. Based in Geneva, IFPMA has official relations with the United Nations and contributes industry expertise to help the global health community find solutions that improve global health.

Contact:

IFPMA Sadia Kaenzig, Tel: +41 79 513 4442 Communications Manager: Email: s.kaenzig@ifpma.org or IFPMA Morgane de Pol, Tel: +41 79 962 11 95 Communications Manager Email: m.depol@ifpma.org or Media Relations WIPO: Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 / 338 72 24 E-mail: Publicinf@wipo.int

Link:

ClickThru

About Business Wire

Business Wire
Business Wire
101 California Street, 20th Floor
CA 94111 San Francisco

http://businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Celero Ventures Opens $25 Million Early-Stage Fund to Investors Backing the Next Generation of European Software Companies1.7.2025 09:30:00 CEST | Press release

Celero Ventures, a new venture capital firm founded by experienced software operators Dave Wyatt and Nick Cochran, is now raising its debut $25 million fund to invest in early-stage startups across the UK and Europe. The fund, which is already 25% subscribed, targets pre-seed and seed-stage companies building next-generation AI and data infrastructure. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250701820933/en/ Nick Cochran and David Wyatt (right) Founders of Celero Ventures Based in London, Celero Ventures is inviting limited partners (LPs) to join its mission of backing exceptional technical founders and accelerating their path to product-market fit and scalable growth. Wyatt and Cochran bring a rare combination of deep go-to-market (GTM) experience and startup leadership. Together, they helped scale both MuleSoft and Databricks—two of the most successful enterprise software companies of the past decade. Their experien

3GPP MCX Standards-Based Hytera HyTalk MC 6.0 Released Globally1.7.2025 09:00:00 CEST | Press release

Hytera, a leading global provider of professional communications technologies and solutions, announced the worldwide release of Hytera HyTalk MC 6.0, its new-generation broadband mission-critical communication platform fully compliant with the 3GPP MCX standard Release 18. As a key part of Hytera’s convergence-native communications strategy, it delivers inclusive, efficient and secure communication over LTE cellular network. Hytera HyTalk MC 6.0 leverages 3GPP standard interfaces and Hytera’s proprietary protocols to enable deep interworking across different technologies and vendors. It enables real-time mapping between the signaling of 3GPP MCX and Hytera DMR, and interconnects with HyteraTETRA systems, allowing a smooth migration path to data-rich communications for mission- and business-critical institutions and users. Hytera DMR or TETRA two-way radios can communicate with LTE/5G terminals through the Hytera HyTalk MC platform in a hybrid network. The Ad-Hoc Temporary Group Call fe

Lyten Acquires Europe’s Largest Battery Energy Storage Systems Manufacturing Operation from Northvolt1.7.2025 09:00:00 CEST | Press release

Lyten will take full ownership of Northvolt Dwa ESS, Europe’s largest energy storage systems manufacturing operation, located in Gdansk, Poland. Lyten intends to immediately restart production in Gdansk to resume sales of battery energy storage systems (BESS) and is expanding its product line to include the world’s first BESS powered by lithium-sulfur batteries. This complements Lyten’s previously announced acquisition of Northvolt’s lithium-metal cell manufacturing facility in Silicon Valley to scale its lithium-sulfur battery production. Lyten, the supermaterial applications company and global leader in lithium-sulfur batteries, announced today the acquisition of Northvolt’s Dwa ESS operations in Gdansk, Poland, a 25,000 square meter (270,000 sq ft) battery energy storage systems (BESS) manufacturing and R&D facility. Northvolt Dwa ESS is the largest BESS manufacturing facility in Europe and was part of Northvolt Systems. The financial terms of the acquisition are not being released

Cargill Sets a New Global Benchmark for More Sustainable Cocoa Supply Chains1.7.2025 09:00:00 CEST | Press release

Cargill reimagines the cocoa journey to cut emissions and reduce waste. Cargill today announced a transformation of its global cocoa supply chain, unveiling a series of interconnected investments that reduce carbon emissions, eliminate waste, and boost efficiency from cocoa origin countries in West Africa to processing hubs in Europe. The company’s upgrades span renewable energy, circular logistics, and smart infrastructure. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250701468198/en/ Cargill today announced a transformation of its global cocoa supply chain, unveiling a series of interconnected investments that reduce carbon emissions, eliminate waste, and boost efficiency from cocoa origin countries in West Africa to processing hubs in Europe. “Sustainability isn’t a single project at Cargill—it’s how we operate,” said Emiel van Dijk, Managing Director of Cocoa & Chocolate Europe and West Africa. “From circular waste reu

Pioneering Impact Strategy, Record EM Sustainable Finance (EMSF), Celebrates Its Fourth Anniversary With Strong Outperformance Since Inception1.7.2025 08:00:00 CEST | Press release

Record Currency Management, in partnership with UBS Wealth Management, is proud to celebrate the fourth anniversary of its pioneering Emerging Market Sustainable Finance (EMSF) Strategy. Operating at the intersection of impact investing, Emerging and Frontier Market currencies and private placements, the strategy offers investors an opportunity to achieve financial returns, alongside measurable impact. Since inception, EMSF has grown to over U$1 billion in AUM and delivered positive returns of +18.7% since inception. The strategy has significantly outperformed both USD and local currency EM Debt benchmarks with around 30% lower volatility - reaffirming that investors need not compromise between financial returns and measurable impact. By taking currency risk across a wide universe of emerging and frontier currencies, EMSF helps MDBs and DFIs raise local currency funding. This allows borrowers in Emerging Markets to receive funding in local currency, eliminating FX risk. Simultaneously,

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye