Under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Pharmacy, Professor Dr. Sarmed H. Kathem Alkhateeb, the Continuing Education Unit at the University of Baghdad/College of Pharmacy, held an in-person workshop entitled “Patency and Intellectual Property (IP) in the Pharmaceutical Industry,” delivered by Assistant Professor Dr. Khalid Kadhem Al-Kinani, the Head of the Department of Pharmacognosy and Medicinal Plants and a faculty member in the Pharmaceutics Department. The workshop aimed to shed light on the most important types of intellectual property rights in general, with a particular focus on the pharmaceutical industry, providing a comprehensive explanation of the scientific and legal aspects related to these rights. The workshop included several topics, including a detailed explanation of the process for applying for intellectual property rights and the steps involved, particularly those related to global procedures outlined by the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which Iraq joined in April 2022. Furthermore, real-world examples were presented from global pharmaceutical companies on how they protect their pharmaceutical products from counterfeiting during the protection period. The workshop concluded the importance of adopting the same approach to intellectual property protection for our researchers and pharmaceutical industry products in the future; by following internationally recognized methods to ensure these rights are not lost.
