Posts Tagged: "Pharma & Chemical"

A look into the recently published patent applications assigned to Dow from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Organization shows us that GMOs and herbicides have been a major area of focus for Dow and Dow AgroSciences, its chief subsidiary in agricultural chemical engineering. Plastics used for packing fragile items or for providing a barrier between soil and building foundations in construction projects. The patent portfolio of Dow has also been increasing recently, incorporating chemical engineering innovations designed for a wide range of industrial sectors. One patent protects a method of developing fragrances for laundry detergents which evaporate less quickly, helping clothes to retain a fragrance for a longer period of time. Oil-in-water emulsions were the focus of a number of patents which we decided to share today, including one discussing a herbicidal composition for agricultural uses. Another patent we noticed protects a topically-applied pharmaceutical drug designed to treat bacterial infections or acne rosacea.

It is nearly universally accepted (and for a reason) that the process from discovery to market is long and costly. Drugs to not invent themselves and there are significant costs associated with nearly 13 to 14 years awaiting approvals. But even that really doesn’t capture what transpires in reality. Pharmaceutical companies do not just passively wait for approval, they are required to take significant and costly affirmative steps. So the critics can do all the mathematical trickeration they want, they can bemoan tax incentives not being taking into account and further complain about pharmaceutical companies partnering with Universities to discover the next generation of life saving and life prolonging drugs. But if you are going to factor into the analysis tax incentives then you absolutely need to factor in the time-value of money into the equation, as well as the astronomical failure rate, which creates extraordinary risk.

We saw in our coverage of Eli Lilly’s patent applications a number of recently developed medications for the management of conditions like diabetes and inflammatory diseases, but the company is also focused on developing solutions to medical problems which are much more devastating. With the current West African outbreak of Ebola making major news headlines in recent weeks, we were greatly intrigued to see one Eli Lilly invention that could be used to treat Ebola and other major viral infections, like HIV. U.S. Patent No. 8796423, titled Anti-TSG101 Antibodies and Their Uses for Treatment of Viral Infections, protects a method of inducing the expression of antibodies to Tumor Susceptibility Gene 101 (TSG101) within a patient’s body. TSG101, which plays an important role in cell growth, can be inhibited to prevent the budding of HIV or other viral infections.

The value of such innovation is best measured through the improved health outcomes for patients. In this context, a few examples from the developing world are even more illustrative. Given that those who most vehemently oppose protection for incremental innovations frequently cite the need for treatments for neglected diseases and maladies of the developing world, it is important to note that many of the treatments that do exist for the world’s most vulnerable populations are themselves incremental innovations. Numerous incremental innovations have resulted in improvements that have specific application to neglected diseases and the maladies of the developing world.

The license agreement grants Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Reckitt Benckiser Group plc, rights for the development and commercialization of XenoPort’s promising oral treatment for alcohol use disorders, a condition affecting more than 140 million people worldwide. Under the terms of the agreement, Reckitt will receive exclusive rights to develop and commercialize arbaclofen placarbil worldwide for all indications, subject to certain rights by XenoPort to negotiate with Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals on collaborations for non-addiction indications.

Actavis plc (NYSE: ACT) announced yesterday that it has entered into an agreement with Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (NYSE: VRX) to settle all outstanding patent litigation related to Actavis’ generic version of Acanya®… Actavis believes it was the first applicant to file an ANDA for the generic version of Acanya® Gel and, should its ANDA be approved, should be entitled to 180 days of generic market exclusivity.

There are millions and millions of people dying each year from all kinds of illnesses that are easily preventable using simple technologies and drugs that are off patent. None of the zealots or patent haters seem to want to help these people who were dying, sometimes from horribly painful diseases that are easily preventable in the first place and then easily treated even if acquired. Rather zealots and ignorant patent haters only want to help those dying of a disease that can only realistically be treated by a patented drug… Did you know that approximately 1.2 million children will die from diarrheal disease this year alone? That translated into 3,338 deaths a day, 139 every hour and one death ever 26 seconds.