Law school to host conference on pharmaceutical patent policy

Law school to host conference on pharmaceutical patent policyApril 07, 2003Cynthia J. Moritzcjmoritz@syr.edu

On April 9, the College of Law will host a conference titled “Patent Policy in the Pharmaceutical Industry.” The conference will examine successes, failures and proposals for reform related to the 1984 Drug Price Competition and Patent Term Restoration Act, better known as Hatch-Waxman.

“With heated debate over prescription drug coverage and hundred-million-dollar legal battles being fought between drug companies, this conference is extremely timely,” says Theodore M. Hagelin, professor at the College of Law and director of its Technology Transfer Research Center.”We hope to shed light on these important questions by bringing together leading experts to discuss the economic, legal and health aspects of patent policy in the pharmaceutical industry. Speakers from government, industry and academe will give a full and balanced consideration of this critical topic.” Hagelin organized the conference with Lisa A. Dolak, an associate professor at the College of Law.

“It’s been nearly 20 years since Congress triggered a revolution in the pharmaceutical industry,” says Dolak. “At its inception, Hatch-Waxman was designed to stimulate research-based pharmaceutical development by extending patent terms to compensate developers for the time lost to regulatory review. It emerged from the legislative process, however, as an unprecedented attempt to spur both new drug innovation and generic competition. Few would argue that the law has failed to meet those goals; calls for reform have grown louder in the wake of rising drug prices and alleged industry abuses. We plan to examine the need for reform and consider the proposed alternatives.”

The conference will be held in Room 100 of MacNaughton Hall, starting at 1 p.m. and ending with a reception at 5:30 p.m. For additional information, call Chris Ramsdell at 443-9542 or e-mail ceramsde@law.syr.edu

The conference will begin with welcoming speeches by Hannah R. Arterian, dean of the College of Law, and Deborah A. Freund, vice chancellor and provost of the University.

A panel on “The Hatch-Waxman Compromise: Balancing Innovation and Competition” will begin at 1:10 p.m. Thomas J. Kniesner, chair and Krisher Professor of Economics at the Maxwell School, will moderate. Panelists will include Dolak, speaking on Hatch-Waxman Law and Policy; Nicholas Groombridge, partner in Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, on “The Orange Book: Pressures and Proposals for Reform”; and Ashoke Bhattacharjya, senior director of business analytics and intelligence at Janssen Pharmaceutica, speaking on “By the Numbers: A Pharmaceutical Industry Profile.”

At 3:15 p.m., another panel will be held on “Hatch-Waxman Reform: Prices, Profits, Progress?” Hagelin will moderate, and the panel will include: Douglas K. Norman, general patent counsel for Eli Lilly and Co., speaking on “The Brand-Name Perspective”; Steven Lieberman, partner in Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, P.C., on “The Generics’ Point of View”; Elizabeth H. Dickinson, associate chief counsel for drugs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, on “Protecting the Public Health: The FDA’s Role”; and Matthew Bye from the Office of General Counsel for Policy Studies of the Federal Trade Commission, on “Promoting Market Competition: The FTC’s Recommendations.”