Dr John Liddicoat - Patent Repositioning for rare diseases – too much, too little or just right

On Monday 25 April 2022, Dr John Liddicoat (LML Senior Research Associate) will participate in Patent Repositioning for rare diseases – too much, too little or just right?, a webinar organised by the Nordic Intellectual Property Review.

Ensuring access to treatments for underserved populations is a key priority in both the European Medicines Agency’s strategy for regulatory science and the EU Commission’s pharmaceutical strategy. In the last decade, the repositioning of drugs has regularly been highlighted as a promising innovation strategy for drug development for rare diseases, and various political initiatives have been taken to support such development. However, it has been difficult to assess whether this strategy has been a success. Issues with terminology and methods mean the extent and character of repositioning for orphan diseases is unclear, which impedes sound policymaking.

At this webinar, Dr Liddicoat and Dr Jakob Wested will analyse the field using a method diescribed  in their recently published article in Nordic Intellectual Property Law Review. They will also  discuss policy implications, such as overcompensation.

More information, including registration details, can be found here.

The repurposing of known drugs for new medical uses remains a core focus of LML’s research, alongside the CeBIL research programme.