Legal IQ, a division of IQPC, will be holding a highly interactive two-day conference, "Optimising Pharmaceutical Patent Lifecycles," in London, on April 29, 2008. The conference will focus on how to maximise product revenues and yet avoid anti-competitive issues through strategic patent lifecycle management.

Featuring seventeen international experts, the conference will cover hot topics such as how to maintain a competitive advantage by integrating legal and commercial strategies to extend product lifecycles, how to update patent strategies by assessing the implications of current US and European case law, how to prevent competition law violations and how to maximise the commercial value of patents by strategically managing the interplay between generics and innovators.

The conference features two practical tutorials ("P.I.T. Stop" sessions), led by experts from Bristows and Simmons & Simmons, which will allow attendees to discuss and work through common industry problems guided by the experts' perspectives. The main focus will be on building a commercially sound patent lifecycle management strategy and reassessing the impact that patent practices have on competition law positions in Europe and the US.

The conference is specifically designed to answer pressing questions from top figures at EPO, UK IPO, Indian PO and USPTO, provide practical lessons in how to apply the key patent lifecycle extension strategies, and ensure that attendees maximise the efficiency of potential collaborations between innovators and generics.