Argentine Senate Okays Patent Bill

Patent protection legislation for pharmaceutical products proposed for Argentina has now been passed by the Senate (Marketletter November 7), despite lobbying against the move from domestic pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Under pressure from the US pharmaceutical industry, the US government has pushed aggressively for patent legislation reform in several countries, including Argentina. The proposed legislation will require Argentinian companies to obtain a license from a government agency and pay a royalty to the foreign manufacturer for the right to produce and market its patented drug product. However, not all is resolved; observers are suggesting that the patent bill will face stronger opposition from the House of Deputies which also has to approve the legislation.