OTTAWA--The issue of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) for pharmaceuticals has returned to the agenda partly as a result of the Romanow Report but also because drug companies are pushing for extended patent protection. In the wake of the current House of Commons Industry, Science and Technology committee hearings, a new CCPA study by Dr. Joel Lexchin--"Intellectual Property Rights and the Canadian Pharmaceutical Marketplace: Where do we go from here?"--makes key points about IPRs that need to be front and centre in deciding a course for future action.