World IP Day 2013

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The EFPIA view

World IP Day 2013: Protecting ‘The Next Generation’ of innovation

26.04.13

Any great invention begins with little more than a thought. To transform that initial idea into a tangible tool requires time and money – necessary investments if we want to continue developing ways to improve people’s lives and the world around us. Innovation requires support through appropriate incentives, and via protective mechanisms like the IP system. This is especially important to remember in financially difficult times, when governments and businesses are keen to make cuts to save money in the present, without considering the detrimental impact such cuts may have on our future.

On World IP Day, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate some innovations that have already made a positive impact. With their creations, these inventors have helped to improve the well-being of people around the world. Let these serve as a reminder of what fantastic life-changing tools can be borne from a simple idea – and an inspiration to protect the future of innovation:

A UV water disinfection device, which offers a cost-effective and simple solution for water purification, has so far been used by more than 2 million people to obtain access to clean water – for less than €1 cent per liter. The device’s creators, Ashok Gadgil & Vikas Garud, won the European Inventor Award 2011 in the category Non-European countries. Learn more
Yves Jongen advanced proton therapy for cancer with his “cyclotron”, a smaller and more affordable device for proton therapy. Jong’s device targets tumours more precisely and efficiently than conventional X-rays. In 2007, Jongen’s new, compact proton-therapy system lowered costs from €100 million to about €24 million per unit. Jong was nominated for the European Inventor Award 2013 in the category Lifetime achievement for his work. Learn more
Josef Bille, winner of the European Inventor Award 2012 in the category Lifetime achievement, developed a precise method for mapping irregularities in the cornea and fine-tuned the lasers to repair them. This ground-breaking invention has helped correct eye defects in millions of patients worldwide. The economic impact of his invention is significant as well, as it has resulted in some 1,000 jobs in firms he co-founded and a yearly combined turnover of €300 million. Learn more

Inventors like these benefit from IP protection – which in turn benefits society. An inventor’s idea is of no value to society if it stays an idea. By protecting the creator’s idea, IP helps to warrant the effort needed to move an innovation forward, from idea to invention. In medicines development, IP functions in the same way, as it helps companies recoup the massive investment of time, energy and money required to take a new medicine from its original molecule – the idea – to an actual treatment that can be used by patients. Novel treatments for HIV are one example: The new medicines developed by pharma innovation allow for better control over the virus’ symptoms, so that people with HIV can enjoy healthy and productive lives.

The cost of R&D in modern medicines development is huge, but so is the need to advance and share the innovations that result from R&D. IP addresses this challenge, enabling the transformation of an idea into a product. In the pharmaceutical industry, the IP system sustains the flow of innovation and allows new and better medicines to benefit new patients every day. As a reminder of this, World IP Day encourages us to celebrate past successes – and to protect the future generation of innovation, so society can continue to benefit from the great ideas of all inventors dedicated to improving patient’s lives.

Richard Bergström was appointed as Director General of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and...