The Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) is pursuing a plan to apply the patent term extension system to advanced biological products that were left unattended within the system through law amendments.

According to the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry on the 19th, KIPO prepared a systemic reform plan that contained the amendments above and is collecting industry opinion.

Under the current Patent Act, the subjects eligible for the patent term extensions are stipulated in Article 7 of the Enforcement Decree of the Patent Act. However, the application of the regulation is limited to ‘drugs’ that are allowed marketing authorization under the Pharmaceutical Act or to ‘p