On 4 November 2026, IFPMA delivered a statement on patents and health at WIPO’s 38th Standing Committee on Patents.

A robust, stable, and predictable intellectual property system supports research and development, investment, and voluntary partnerships needed to translate scientific discoveries into innovative medicines and vaccines. As users of the patent system, including the Patent Cooperation Treaty, we attach considerable importance to the stability and predictability of the existing framework. The contribution of the intellectual property framework, especially patents, should be assessed by the benefits that innovation delivers to patients, health systems, and society.

We encourage Member States and the Committee to give greater attention to the value and role of intellectual property, including patents, in enabling technology advancements across sectors. An excessive focus on exceptions and limitations, including compulsory licensing runs the risk of undermining the importance of incentives that are needed for skills scale up, research and development, investment, voluntary collaborations, and economic development. We therefore urge this Committee to ensure that discussions on intellectual property fully reflect the contribution patents make to scientific progress, patient outcomes, and society at large.

We would also like to thank the Committee for inviting us to speak with regard to our partnership with WIPO on Pat-INFORMED – an endeavour to make information available for procurement agencies on certain disease areas – which enters its 10^th year this year.

IFPMA remains committed to working with WIPO and Member States on evidence-based discussions that inform policies which support innovation and the advancement of science and the arts for the benefit of peoples.

Thank you.

About IFPMA

IFPMA represents the innovative pharmaceutical industry at the international level, engaging in official relations with the United Nations and multilateral organizations. Our vision is to ensure that scientific progress translates into the next generation of medicines and vaccines that deliver a healthier future for people everywhere.

To achieve this, we act as a trusted partner, bringing our members' expertise to champion pharmaceutical innovation, drive policy that supports the research, development, and delivery of health technologies, and create sustainable solutions that advance global health.

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Media Contact

Elliot Dunster e.dunster@ifpma.org