Panel Discussion on Intellectual Property and
Public Health at KIIT Law School
The Centre for Intellectual Property Studies (CIPS), in collaboration with the Department of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), KIIT Law School, organized a panel discussion on 17th March 2026 on the theme “TRIPS at 30: Balancing Intellectual Property and Access to Public Health.” The discussion brought together leading voices from law, policy, and public health to critically examine the evolving interface between intellectual property regimes and access to medicines.
The panel featured distinguished experts including Prof. K.M. Gopakumar, Legal Advisor and Co-convenor of the Working Group on Access to Medicines and Treatments; Mr. Roshan John, Legal and Policy Advisor at MSF Access (who joined the session online); Dr. Gargeya Talekepalli, Public Health Consultant, Third World Network (Geneva); and Dr. Nilakanta Mishra, Director of Public Health, Government of Odisha. The session was moderated by Prof. (Dr.) K.D. Raju, Pro Vice-Chancellor, KIIT-DU.
The event commenced with opening remarks by Prof. Tulip Suman, Faculty Convenor, Centre for Intellectual Property Studies, who highlighted the significance of the TRIPS Agreement in shaping global public health discourse. The session concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Dr. Sambhabi Patnaik, Head of the Department of IPR.
The discussion witnessed active participation from faculty members, students of the 3rd and 4th year B.A./B.B.A./B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) programmes specializing in Intellectual Property, LL.M. (IPR) students, and Ph.D. scholars, both in-person and online.
The panel discussion underscored the continuing need for collaborative engagement among governments, civil society, and industry stakeholders to ensure a balanced framework that promotes innovation while safeguarding equitable access to medicines.