Indian Patent Office proposes new guidelines for pharma patent examination

The Indian Patent Office (IPO) has proposed updating guidelines for examination of pharmaceutical patent applications to improve the quality, consistency and uniformity of scrutiny, taking into account the evolving interpretation of laws by courts.

It has issued draft guidelines for examination of pharmaceutical applications for patent.

Pharmaceutical patenting in India is extremely important and a sensitive issue because a bad patent can become a burden to society; good patents are essential for promoting innovation and technological development in the country.

In order to achieve these targets, the IPO is continuously upgrading its internal resources, revamping its internal work modules or its public interfaces.

"In an attempt to bring in quality, consistency and uniformity, the office has introduced the guidelines for examination in certain key areas like pharmaceuticals," it said.

Further, many of the issues related to product patenting in the field of pharmaceuticals are now