EPO holds first bilateral meeting with Medicines for Europe
Representatives of the EPO and Medicines for Europe during their virtual meeting on 16 October
European Patent Office (EPO) Vice-President Patent Granting Process Steve Rowan led an EPO delegation in its first bilateral meeting with Medicines for Europe (MfE), the association representing the European generic and biosimilar medicines industry. Building on earlier exchanges at MfE’s annual Legal Affairs Conference, the online meeting on 16 October marked the beginning of a more structured dialogue between the two organisations.
“This exchange with Medicines for Europe gave us a valuable opportunity to listen directly to user perspectives and to explain our approach in key areas,” Steve Rowan said following the meeting. “It marks an important step in establishing a constructive and transparent dialogue with the generic and biosimilar medicines industry.”
Quality and transparency in the spotlight
Discussions focused primarily on the EPO’s approach to quality and transparency. MfE representatives presented their views on divisional applications, while the EPO outlined its balanced practice and the safeguards and measures in place to ensure efficiency and predictability. The exchange enabled MfE to share industry perspectives and allowed the EPO to present current developments and practices.
The EPO also highlighted progress under its Quality Action Plan 2025, including the introduction of new KPIs in the Quality Dashboard to increase transparency around search, examination and appeal outcomes. In addition, the EPO presented forthcoming studies of the Observatory on Patents and Technology relevant to the healthcare sector, covering topics such as access to medicines, AI and pharmaceuticals, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Both sides welcomed the constructive tone of the discussions and agreed on the value of continuing targeted exchanges, potentially through future workshops or technical sessions.
This bilateral meeting forms part of the EPO’s strategic priority to strengthen dialogue with a wide range of user communities, such as EFPIA and INTERPAT, ensuring that diverse perspectives inform its work.
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