India's first patent facilitation centre opens at Hyderabad

The first patents facilitation centre in the country was opened at Hydetrabd yesterday. The formation of the centre has been facilitated by the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil), under the ministry of commerce, to advise drug developers and pharmaceutical research companies in the country.

The centre is first of its kind in the country and has been set up at the Hyderabad office premises of Pharmexcil.

In view of the importance of the Indian pharmaceutical sector in drug development and global marketing, with the growing importance of IPRs under the new patent regime, similar centres are also being opened at Mumbai and Delhi with the support of department of chemicals and  petrochemicals.

A fund has been earmarked under the 11th Five-year Plan for initiating patents facilitation centres by ministry of chemicals and fertilisers under Pharmexcil, set up in 2004 for promoting pharmaceutical exports from India.

These intellectual property rights (IPRs) and patents facilitation centres will provide the small and medium pharmaceutical manufacturers and exporters the information and knowledge on patents, status of patents of pharmaceutical products vis-à-vis other countries, patent search, interpretation and search-based intellectual property related technology and prior art search, invention mining, patentability opinion, guidance and opinion of IM launch, infringement analysis and opinion, and freedom to operate opinions. It would also provide training and short term courses in IPRs.

Patent attorney Dr Gopakumar Nair will function as patent advisor at the facilitation centre, which has also appointed two patent analysts.

To coincide with the inauguration Pharmexcil hosted a technical session for pharmaceutical industry executives from across the country, which was addressed by Dr K S Kardam, assistant. controller of patents and designs, Delhi,  and Chennai  advocate Feroz Ali, and Dr Nair.