The National Economic, Social and Environmental Council will organize Wednesday here in Algiers a meeting devoted to pharmaceutical industry and patents, according to a statement by the advisory body.
The same source stated that the meeting will take place at the Higher School of Hotel and Catering in the capital, in the presence of representatives of various ministerial departments concerned with this issue, national and international specialized institutions, professional associations, economic and social actors, researchers, academics and representatives of civil society.
The Council indicated that the meeting will be an opportunity to discuss and exchange on the stakes, challenges, prospects and the dynamics of developing the pharmaceutical industry sector, especially the aspects related to research and development and the exploitation of patents as a lever for the development of the pharmaceutical industry, especially those with high added value.
The meeting – the statement adds – will also address the legal and regulatory framework, especially in the field of intellectual property protection that governs and regulates the use of these patents, in addition to studying the repercussions of canceling the 51/49 rule on investments and establishing a partnership between the public and private sectors and national or international operators as a driver to develop the pharmaceutical industry sector in Algeria.
The participants will also propose a method of work that would contribute to the development of the national system for ensuring the quality of medicines that meets international standards, especially in the field of patents and intellectual property protection, including achieving “health sovereignty and security” for our country by providing, on the one hand, the citizen with a fair access to medicines and on the other hand, moving towards exports, “a trend that the President of the Republic has repeatedly emphasized,” the statement adds.
The meeting will culminate in a series of recommendations aimed at a better harmony and coordination of policies for the development of this sector towards the public authorities, with an emphasis on the protection of citizens and the promotion of a healthy environment, which must be at the heart of the objectives of economic growth and social development, through the definition of the most appropriate economic regulation mechanisms, in order to establish a sustainable health policy.
