The 13th Beijing E-Town (Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei) Biopharmaceutical Industry Conference was held in Beijing on June 25–26, 2026. As an important platform for industry exchange and collaboration in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region, this year's conference, themed "Original Innovation and Regional Collaboration", brought together industry experts, business representatives and innovators for in-depth discussions on emerging industry trends and opportunities for international development.
Dr. MOU Ke, Partner at Liu Shen, LI Qiutong, Attorney-at-law, and patent attorneys ZOU Sheng and LUO Wenfu were invited to attend the conference on behalf of the firm. The team engaged in extensive discussions with fellow intellectual property professionals, demonstrating Liu Shen's expertise and comprehensive legal service capabilities across the biopharmaceutical IP lifecycle.
On June 26, LI Qiutong delivered a presentation entitled "Practical Strategies for Biopharmaceutical Patent Portfolio Development" at one of the conference's parallel sessions. Drawing on the global pharmaceutical market landscape and the growing international expansion of Chinese innovative drug developers, LI emphasized that patent portfolio strategies should be driven by commercial objectives and closely aligned with the progress of clinical research and development. She discussed how pharmaceutical companies can build strategically structured, multi-layered patent portfolios covering different aspects of their innovations at key stages of drug development, illustrating practical considerations through representative case studies. LI further highlighted that even a robust patent portfolio does not necessarily eliminate infringement risks, as a patent confers the right to exclude others rather than an affirmative right to practice an invention. Drawing on practical examples, she examined freedom-to-operate (FTO) risks throughout the innovative drug development lifecycle, from project initiation and R&D through regulatory approval, market launch and post-marketing activities. She summarized an effective approach to managing FTO risks through three key principles: early identification, early assessment and timely response, offering practical guidance to pharmaceutical companies seeking to strengthen their patent strategies while mitigating potential infringement exposure.
The conference provided a valuable opportunity for the Liu Shen team to deepen its engagement with industry peers and further demonstrate the firm's capabilities in biopharmaceutical intellectual property protection. Looking ahead, Liu Shen remains committed to addressing the evolving needs of the biopharmaceutical industry and keeping pace with advances in pharmaceutical innovation. Leveraging its legal and technical expertise, the firm will continue to help clients develop robust global IP strategies, identify and manage potential legal risks, and navigate an increasingly complex international intellectual property landscape, thereby supporting the sustainable growth and international competitiveness of China's biopharmaceutical industry.
