New amendments predicted to affect intellectual property
protection.
The new year will bring many changes and their associated risks
and opportunities. With President-elect Barack Obama leading the
U.S. through one of the murkiest financial times in history, many
are looking toward China in the year of Yi Chou, or the Ox, as we
contemplate alternative funding sources, manufacturing locations,
and sites for performing clinical trials.
It appears that China is poised to become one of the new centres
of innovation. China intends to soon grant more patents than any
other country and expects to entice most of the top pharmaceutical
companies to conduct R&D within its borders. It is believed
that China's government may show more incentive to enforce
patent rights within the country if the local companies in China
feel that they have innovative technologies and are, therefore,
stakeholders in the growing biotech industry.
