EU - The European Commission publishes a report on the Pharmaceutical Sector Inquiry

The European Commission recently published the preliminary findings of the Pharmaceutical Sector Inquiry launched by the Commission at the beginning of the year. The findings examine the input provided by the pharmaceutical sector under EC competition rules and discuss issues with the use and efficiency of the patent system for the pharmaceutical market, among other topics.
Indeed, the report finds no flaws in the way the patent system works in Europe, although it acknowledges the setback caused by the absence of a Community patent and a centralised European patent judiciary. Moreover, the report examines the patent strategies of the originator companies who first patent and commercialise a pharmaceutical product and possible market barriers created for the generic companies that place generic versions of pharmaceutical products on the market.