Conference Outline

15th Annual IGPA Conference in Kyoto, 2012

"Generic Medicines for Better Access and Sustainable Healthcare"

We are pleased to announce that the 15th Annual Conference of the International Generic Pharmaceutical Alliance (IGPA) will be hosted by the Japan Generic Medicines Association (JGA). This event will be held in Kyoto, Japan, for the first time from December 4 (Tue.) to 6 (Thurs.), 2012.

Date :
  • Pre-conference Workshops: December 4(Tue.), 2012
  • Main Conference: December 5(Wed.)-6(Thurs), 2012
Venue:
  • The Westin Miyako Kyoto
    Sanjo, Keage, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto 605-0052 Japan
    Tel: +81-75-771-7111 Fax: +81-75-751-2490
  1. Brief History of IGPA

    The IGPA is an alliance of associations representing manufacturers of generic medicines.
    It was originally founded in 1997 by GPhA (USA), EGA (Europe) and CGPA (Canada).
    At present, the IGPA has six regular members as well as three observer status
    members:

    Regular members

    • Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA), USA
    • European Generic Medicines Association (EGA), Europe
    • Canadian Generic Pharmaceutical Association (CGPA), Canada
    • Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), India
    • Japan Generic Medicines Association (JGA), Japan
    • National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (NAPM), South Africa

    Observer members

    • ProGenericos, Brazil
    • Taiwan Generics Pharmaceutical Association (TGPA), Taiwan
    • Jordanian Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (JAPM), Jordan

  2. The IGPA seeks to ensure that all consumers have access to affordable, quality medicines. To this end, the IGPA works to promote international pharmaceutical harmonization of regulatory procedures in a way which will maximally benefit patients, national healthcare systems and the generic pharmaceutical industry.

    Further achieve these aims, the following objectives, to name a major few, are pursued by the IGPA and its Member Associations:

    • To Promote balanced and generic-friendly intellectual property rights in the pharmaceutical sector which ensure that timely access to markets is guaranteed for generic pharmaceutical products;
    • To encourage scientific development, professional awareness and general knowledge of generic medicines;
    • To promote uniform and effective GMP standards and quality controls for generic pharmaceuticals and their active ingredients;
    • To seek strict and effective controls to prevent the production and trade of counterfeit versions of generic medicines and original brand products;
    • To discuss international regulatory affairs with the ICH, WTO, WIPO and WHO.

    The following committees operate within the IGPA organization:

    • Management Committee: coordinated by the principal officers of the member associations for management of policy and general affairs
    • Science Committee: for the review of international regulatory issues
    • Intellectual Property Committee: for the review of Intellectual Property issues
    • Healthcare Economy Committee: for pricing and reimbursement issues
  3. What is the Annual IGPA Conference?

    The Annual IGPA Conferences are hosted by the generic medicines industry alone, and have been held at various places around the world.
    Recent annual conferences have been held at places such as Cape Town, South Africa (2011), Mumbai, India (2010), Montreal, Canada (2009), and Geneva, Switzerland (2008).
    This year, the Japan Generic Medicines Association (JGA) is responsible for holding the conference, and Kyoto was selected to host the event.
    The Annual Conferences usually consist of a few pre-conference workshops on the first day, followed by the main conference which is spread out over the next two days.

    • (1) Pre-conference Workshops

      Pre-conference workshops are conducted mainly to provide the latest information on topics of high interest such as pharmaceutical regulations, IP, and healthcare systems. The IGPA conference offers participants workshops which are conducted in a business-oriented and professional manner and formatted to maximize participant interaction. The lectures are available to any IGPA participants or non-IGPA members who have registered for the workshops.
      This year, two workshops will be given on the same day. These sessions will feature guests including regulatory officials from China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan and Japan who will present their current situations, as follows:

      • 1) “Approval and Licensing of Generic Medicines in Asia” for Track 1
      • 2) “Pricing and Reimbursement of Generic Medicines in Asia” for Track 2.

      With this format, we believe it will be possible to provide overall information on major markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Best of all, you will have opportunities to share your views directly with regulatory officials.

    • (2) Main Conference

      The Main Conference is usually divided into 7 sessions, all of which are related to the generic medicines industry, focusing on industry as well as government policies, regulation and marketing. It covers the following areas:

      • 1) Global trends in generic medicines and biosimilars
      • 2) M&A and business policy
      • 3) Market trends and IP issues in major as well as emerging markets
      • 4) Bioequivalence requirements
      • 5) Top executives of major generic pharmaceutical industry players discussing their business strategies.

      Additionally, speakers from regulatory authorities, international organizations (such as the WHO, WTO, and WIPO), relevant academic societies, databanks, investment banks, consulting firms, and more will be involved.
      A welcome reception, a gala dinner, exhibition booths, and coffee breaks will provide ample opportunities to exchange the latest information on developments in the generic pharmaceutical industry.

Welcome to Kyoto IGPA Conference

All in all, we are sure that the 15th Annual IGPA Conference 2012 will provide a very rare opportunity to obtain the latest information on pharmaceutical and generic medicines worldwide.
Please don’t miss this opportunity to network with industry colleagues from around the world who will share their knowledge and experiences with all who take part.

All sessions of the conference including workshops will be run with simultaneous English-Japanese interpretation. By way of the IGPA website, those who register may participate in the meetings regardless of whether they are IGPA members or non-members.

In the global pharmaceutical industry, innovative drug manufacturers are now confronting “the 2010 Issue” or “Patent Cliff” whereby many of their blockbuster products are losing patent protection. The generic medicines industry itself has its own issues and challenges, which include: global generic pharmaceutical industry players increasing their M&A activities and strategic tie-ups, several innovative drug makers and outsiders from different industrial sectors penetrating the generic market, and the technology transition that is happening as a result of dwindling small-molecule drug targets, and the inevitable development of biosimilars.

For those who are interested in such issues, we are confident that this is the conference best suited to their needs and expectations.

We look forward to welcoming you to the conference this coming December, and enjoying with you the ambience of the ancient capital of Japan with 12 centuries of history shown through the kaleidoscope of autumn foliage.

Registration Secretariat for 2012 15th Annual IGPA Conference
c/o Congress Corporation
E-mail: igpa2012-reg@congre.co.jp
Tel: +81-(0)3-5216-5303 (Tokyo Office)
Tel: +81-(0)75-771－8210 (contact this number after Dec. 3 in the afternoon)
　　　　　
Conference Organizer:
Japan Generic Medicines Association (JGA)
3-3-4, Nihonbashi honcho, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-0023, Japan
Tel:+81-3-3279-1890　Fax:+81-3-3241-2978