BISHKEK (AKIpress) –The parliament of Kyrgyzstan approved on March 4 the third reading of the amendments to the patent act. The bill was prepared to give population an access to generic drugs. Kyrgyzpatent, the Ministry of Health, and private hospitals supported the bill.

Prices for medicines in Kyrgyzstan mainly depend on the system of intellectual property rights, which makes them too expensive, the bill initiators said.

Generics are drugs comparable to a brand/reference listed drug product in dosage form, strength, quality and performance characteristics, and intended use. It has also been defined as a term referring to any drug marketed under its chemical name without advertising.

Although they may not be associated with a particular company, generic drugs are subject to the regulations of the governments of countries where they are dispensed. Generic drugs are labelled with the name of the manufacturer and the adopted name (non-proprietary name) of the drug.

Kyrgyzstan is a member of the World Trade Organization. Legal provisions granting patents to manufacturers exist. These cover pharmaceuticals, laboratory supplies, medical supplies, and medical equipment.

Intellectual Property Rights are managed and enforced by the Public service of intellectual property of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic (www.patent.kg).

National Legislation has been modified to implement the TRIPS Agreement but does not contain TRIPS-specific flexibilities and safeguards. Kyrgyzstan is not eligible for the transitional period to 2016. There are legal provisions for patent term extension, but no legal provisions for data exclusivity for pharmaceuticals and linkage between patent status and marketing authorization.

The country is engaged in capacity-strengthening initiatives to manage and apply Intellectual Property Rights in order to contribute to innovation and promote public health.

There are 42 licensed pharmaceutical manufacturers in Kyrgyzstan. In 2010, domestic manufacturers held 4.27% of the market share by value produced. The percentage of market share by volume produced by domestic manufacturers is 4.37%. There are no multinational pharmaceutical companies which manufacture medicines locally. There are no manufacturers that are Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) certified.