The European Patent Office (EPO) announced on 6 November that it hosted a workshop on patent quality with Medicines for Europe, the association of Europe's generic, biosimilar and value-added medicines industries, in Munich on 28 October. The two first met bilaterally in 2025, and the EPO described the workshop as a further step towards a structured dialogue on issues affecting the medicines sector and the patent grant process.
Participants exchanged views on patent quality and harmonisation, divisional applications and the treatment of third-party observations.
The EPO explained its practice, including the safeguards and measures meant to ensure efficiency and predictability, then presented its Quality Action Plan 2026 and updated the Quality dashboard's key performance indicators for search, examination and appeal outcomes. Medicines for Europe set out the views of the generic and biosimilar sector.
The EPO also updated the association on its Observatory on Patents and Technology, including work on access to medicines and emerging healthcare technologies. It said the workshop is part of wider engagement with user communities that also includes organisations such as EFPIA and INTERPAT.
The announcement gives no conclusions and no new examination measures. Both sides said they want to continue the dialogue on issues of shared interest.
Source: www.epo.org
