Ricardo A. Antequera H. exposes the panorama of the pharmaceutical industry in the field of intellectual property in Venezuela at the PTMG annual conference

Ricardo A. Antequera H, Managing Partner of Antequera Parilli & Rodríguez (AP&R), participated as an exhibitor at the 97^th conference of Pharmaceutical Trade Marks Group (PTMG) held in Dubrovnik, Croatia, during the first week of October 2018.

PTMG, a non-profit organization, founded in 1970 in England, is an important association of the pharmaceutical industry that deals -exclusively- with the interests and needs related to IP, on an international level “The conference is a space in which only the main actors participate,” says Ricardo A. Antequera, who was invited by the organizing and academic committee to be part of the exlcusive panel of lawyers that presented the current situation of the sector in Latin America. His presentation dealt with the panorama of the pharmaceutical industry in terms of intellectual property in Venezuela and its prospects for the future. “We are very grateful to the PTMG for having included in this year’s agenda a review of the Venezuelan case, so I could expose to the world, what happens in the pharmaceutical market in our country,” explained Ricardo.

A contextual brief, the changes and the current situation in the laws of Pl for the field and the long-awaited recommendations for pharmaceutical companies, were the topics addressed, within a regional panel that also included speakers from Mexico, Brazil and Argentina.

“For many years, Venezuela was at the forefront as a market of interest for the pharmaceutical industry in the region, even in spite of the setback we have experienced at the legislative level in the last decade,” says Ricardo. His invitation and proposal addressed to the IP owners is to hold the fort, maintaining presence in the country and taking a proactive approach caused by the severe shortage of medicines, a situation that could be the cause of other significant problems such as counterfeiting, contraband, illicit distribution of medicines, and self-medication.

PTMG organizes two conferences on pharmaceutical brands and related topics each year, one in spring and the other in autumn, the latter being the main one.  For its part, AP & R always consistent with the interest to train and keep up with the demands that promotes the dynamism of the current environment, seeks their participation in events of this nature. “We are a solid group of professionals committed to accompanying our clients in any area in which their intangible assets manifest or act, therefore, generating spaces to share topics of mutual interest is vital”, complements Ricardo.