Legal experts tell the Pink Sheet why India’s plans to abolish the Intellectual Property Appellate Board and shift its powers to courts may be problematic for stakeholders, including those pursuing infringement charges. The transition could mean a significant burden on courts both in terms of capability and capacity, and IPR cases will now conflate into all other pending commercial matters, some experts said, though others cheered the proposed change.

The leadership of top Indian firms recounted at the IPA Forum how they got together on a joint 45-minute call daily in the early phase of the pandemic to collaborate and ensure uninterrupted supplies of medicines both in India and globally. The executives also shared views on telemedicine and digitalization trends at the event.

Experts including renowned virologist Peter Piot, FDA’s Peter Marks and CEPI’s Richard Hatchett discussed multiple dimensions pertaining to coronavirus variants and existing vaccines at a recent conference, noting enhanced post-deployment surveillance is underway in the US. While there’s no need to panic for every variant that emerges, equitable access to vaccines is critical to ensure that gains made over last year are not undone, they said.