The C.H.I.E.F.S. Story – Preparation is Key

Thirty-one years ago this week I presented to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) conference at their Geneva, Switzerland UN headquarters. The reason for flying to Switzerland in the middle of winter wasn’t for the excellent skiing, but to promote the use of emerging technologies to protect Intellectual Property (IP).

Sadly, the Canadian technology my company had perfected, and which was completing its final field tests in Hollywood, was too far ahead of its time. However, the lessons I learned have served me well.

Perhaps that is why I am so focused on IP when it comes to C.H.I.E.F.S.

IP is definitely a key element in determining the potential success of a commercial endeavor and for effective preparation against the unexpected (probably even more so now).

Not only was I “schooled” by the leading authority on writing patents, but was personally exposed to worldwide greatness when it came to IP authorities. In fact, slightly over two years later I lost a number of WIPO colleagues who were traveling on the doomed TWA 800 flight out of New York (via Paris back to Geneva).

Fast forward to today where the world is considerably more fragmented and for various reasons a number of the UN agencies appear to be in disarray. I refuse to get into politics, but in many ways I miss the simplicity of having a world body imbued with unreserved respect.

Tragically a global trade war has started. First with steel and aluminum, which will then be followed by other sectors, categories, and products.

As I have been saying since Donald Trump was re-elected, (see Anticipating a Seismic Shift) we have to believe what he says, no matter how crazy it may sound. That means BE PREPARED (even if you weren’t a Boy Scout)!!

And when it comes to health innovations, the US will still be the only fully privatized market in the world. Therefore, innovators from every country will continue to flock to the US for regulatory approvals, clinical trials, conferences, and especially sales, irrespective of any increase in the cost of their goods by way of tariffs.

Frankly, in this case you can’t just “Buy Canadian” when it comes to health tech. It’s too bad you can’t and although some Canadian innovators were able to prosper during COVID, they were the exception.

Moreover, even if the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA) was scrapped tomorrow with everyone agreeing to continue to abide by Health Canada regulations at the national level, it will still take time to work out how to consolidate the different provincial reimbursement schemes, formularies, and professional requirements. Add to all that the difficulty in eliminating the various procurement levels, since health will still remain a provincial responsibility.

Last week in Your Dilemma I provided a couple of lists to help you prepare, mostly derived from my background and experience I used in developing the C.H.I.E.F.S. Tool?. Feel free to revisit them, or email me at [email protected].

We have the tool, you have the need!??????????