E-drug: Re: Patents
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The expiry date of patents on pharmaceuticals will vary from
country to country depending on a number of factors: when the
patent was applied for, when it was issued and the length of
patent protection. The standard for patents since the conclusion
of the TRIPS agreement has been 20 years since the date of
filing, but before that some countries, like Canada, granted 17
years from the date the patent was issued. Other countries had,
and some still have, shorter patent periods. Also there are
different kinds of patents: process patents, i.e., a patent on the
method used in making the drug, product patents, i.e., a patent
on the product itself, and finally, in some countries like the
United States, use patents, i.e., patents on a particular use of
the product. Products may be covered by a number of different
patents and these may be applied for at different times and
therefore will have different expiry dates. In short, there is not
going to be a single data base that you can turn to to get your
answer.
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto, Ontario
CANADA M5R 2X8
Phone: (416)-964-7186
Fax: (416)-923-9515
e mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
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