PSM Attends Panel on Intellectual Property Rights and Counterfeit Drugs
On May 27, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center (GIPC) held an event to address intellectual property (IP) rights, a discussion that extended to issues of counterfeit and substandard medicines in developing parts of the world.
PSM Executive Director Scott LaGanga moderated a panel discussion with Sproxil’s Ashifi Gogo, Dr. Vishal Patel of the U.S. Department of State and Dr. Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute, to discuss the need to to reduce the growing threat of counterfeit drugs.
Talking after the event, LaGanga noted the importance of delineating between IP rights and counterfeit drugs. “It’s important that we as public health advocates never conflate the two,” said LaGanga. “Our concerns lie instead with issues including lax regulations, uncoordinated enforcement efforts and the growth of unregulated drug ‘sellers.'”
We thank the Chamber for including PSM in this important event, as well as for including the PSM in its recap on the Chamber Post blog.
