Between them, they certainly provided a
comprehensive overview of the
opportunities and challenges of this wide
variety of jurisdictions with varying legal
systems. Delegates were particularly
impressed with the wealth of experience
shared by Sarah who gave us first hand
examples of anti-counterfeiting strategies
and enforcement in specific countries.
Her comment that actions taken in these
markets ensure that genuine medicines
reach "the people who need it most" was
a timely reminder. By the end of this
session, Sarah's passion for Africa had
become infectious and provided many
with food for thought over lunch.
The last presentation of the conference
was a panel presentation chaired by
PTMG committee member Marcus
Goldbach on the topic of the Madrid
Protocol and proved to be a very lively,
rousing conclusion to the seminar
schedule. Carlos Polo of Carlos Polo &
Asociados offered an extremely spirited
introduction to the Madrid Protocol and
WIPO filing system. Should anyone have
accidentally dozed off after a large Friday
lunch they would not have remained
asleep for long due to the number of
musical interludes and films Carlos
deployed. Alvaro Loureiro Oliveria of
Dannemann Siemsen gave a very positive
update on implementation in Brazil
including the news that 90 new examiners
have been appointed and that by 2015 it
should only take 9 months from filing to
registration; good news indeed! Maury
Tepper from Tepper & Eyster did a
fantastic job of stepping in at the last
minute to present on the US relationship
with the Madrid system, I have to admit I
hadn't realised how close the US WIPO
negotiations came to being derailed by
some Cuban rum!
All of the presenters did an excellent job
and I thoroughly recommend accessing
their presentations whilst they are still
online on the PTMG website. I also
thought that the conference organisers
ran a very slick operation meeting all the
delegate's needs. No PTMG conference is
complete without a gala dinner on the last
night and Vienna was no exception. A
sparkling reception was followed by three
courses of delicious food before a good
proportion of the conference danced the
night away to the banging sounds of the
DJ's Europop, some more enthusiastically
than others!
One of the many things that struck me
during the course of our Vienna meeting
was the incredible number of acronyms
we all used during the presentations which
made me think that perhaps we should
have a Christmas quiz. No prizes I'm
afraid, just basking in the glory of knowing
you're an acronym ace!
Vienna Acronym Quiz !
DMEPA:
Division of Medication Error Prevention
and Analysis (US FDA committee who
consider trade mark candidates)
MCC:
Medicines Control Council
(regulatory authority of South Africa)
CHMP:
Committee for Medicinal Products
for Human Use (EU regulatory
approval body)
EFPIA:
European Federation of Pharmaceutical
Industries and Associations
TGA:
Therapeutic Goods Administration
(Australian regulatory authority)
INN:
International Non-proprietary Name
MAH:
Marketing Authorisation Holder
DTC:
Direct to consumer
COFEPRIS:
Comisión Federal para la Protección
contra Riesgos Sanitarios (Mexican
regulatory authority)
FMD:
Falsified Medicines Directive
API:
Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient
GMP:
Good manufacturing practice
9
Sarah Jeffery & Chris Walters
Marcus Goldbach & Carlos Polo
Maury Tepper
A committee member in traditional
costume
Alvaro Loureiro Oliveria