Posts Tagged: "Heart Disease"

U.S. patent system may be biggest obstacle for inventors

The NPR-style article tells the story of Tory Norred, a fellow in the cardiology program at the University of Missouri, who in 1998 came up with the idea for a collapsible prosthetic aortic valve that could be fished up through an artery with a catheter and implanted in the hearts of patients who suffered from failing aortic valves. Unlike previous valves, Norred’s stent disperses the force needed to hold it in place against the aorta’s walls, requiring no sutures. In November 2002 he received U.S. Patent No. 6,482,228, “Percutaneous Aortic Valve Replacement.” Norred knew that he was on to something important, but that was not the beginning of success, it was the start of a nightmare that led to repeated frustration.

Merck Patents Drugs for Metabolic Disorders & Alzheimer’s

Our survey of the patents recently issued by the USPTO to Merck showed us a great deal of innovation in the field of metabolic disorders and conditions, especially obesity-related diabetes. But one particular patent issued to Merck now protects a pharmaceutical compound inhibiting the activity of gamma secretase and other enzymes involved in the production of amyloid beta. It’s believed that reductions in amyloid protein can treat or even prevent Alzheimer’s disease, making it a very important area of medical research.

FTC Upholds Decision on Deceptive Advertising of Pomegranate Products

The Commission issued a Final Order that bars the POM marketers from making any claim that a food, drug, or dietary supplement is “effective in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of any disease,” including heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction, unless the claim is supported by two randomized, well-controlled, human clinical trials. The Order also prohibits misrepresentations regarding any test, study, or research, and requires competent and reliable scientific evidence to support claims about the “health benefits, performance, or efficacy” of any food, drug, or dietary supplement.