Posts Tagged: "cancer"

Patent applications recently published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that Pfizer’s recent development goals have focused on a broad spectrum of diseases and disorders… Treatments for a number of bacterial infections which can develop in hospital settings was another field of innovation reflected both in Pfizer’s patent applications as well as the patents recently assigned to the company. A couple of recently issued patents protect treatments against gram-negative bacteria by inhibiting a catalyst enzyme necessary for bacterial reproduction.

She thought about a new approach to get these patents off the shelf: launching an international competition for teams to develop business plans for a start-up company around some of the most promising inventions… Eleven new companies have already been formed, five have completed their licensing negotiations with NIH, most of the new companies have secured venture funding, several have letters of intent from large drug companies and one team landed an additional $700K after winning a separate business plan competition.

The first patent received by an HBCU was on April 11, 1978, assigned to Shaw University of Raleigh, NC. Between 1969 and 2012, HBCUs received 100 utility patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in various fields, including energy, advanced manufacturing technology, nanotechnology and breast cancer treatment. Although this is a very small portion of patents issued by the USPTO during that period, the rate at which HBCUs have received patents has increased exponentially in recent years. In 2010, HBCUs received 10 patents; in 2011, 17 patents; and in 2012, 24 patents.

Kava Plant May Prevent Cigarette Smoke-induced Lung Cancer *** Conditional Approval for Treatment of T-cell Lymphoma in Dogs *** All-Oral, Interferon-Free Therapy for the Treatment of Hepatitis C Genotype 1 *** Favorable Markman Ruling for Dopomed in GRALISE® Patent Litigation *** More FDA Woes for Ranbaxy *** Inovio Develops DNA-based Immune Booster to Enhance T-cell Responses *** Fish & Richardson Wins Hatch-Waxman Litigation for Allergan *** FDA approves Mekinist with Tafinlar for Advanced Melanoma

Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease Shows Improved Brain Function — DARPA Awards $25 Million To Develop Messenger RNA Therapeutics™ — Actavis Files ANDA for Generic Suboxone® Sublingual Film — AzaSite® Patents Upheld in Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Sandoz — Surgeons Successfully Remove “Inoperable” Metastatic Breast Cancer — Actavis Files ANDA on Acanya® Gel, Gets Sued by Dow, Valeant — NYSE Inquires About Unusual Market Activity for Ampio Pharmaceuticals — Cannabis Biotech Hires Patent Attorney to Protect Medical Marijuana Innovation — Merck’s Hepatitis C Drug Gets Breakthrough Therapy Designation — Therapeutic Vaccine for Hepatitis C Enters Phase I — Urine Test for Cancer Monitoring — Popular Prenatal Vitamin Patent Upheld in District Court — Clinical Trials on Brain Technology to Assist ALS Patients — Teva Gets Favorable Ruling on COPAXONE in the Netherlands — BVGH Recruits Dr. Linda Venczel as New Program Director — Actavis’s settles with FTC over $8.5 Billion acquisition of Warner Chilcott

India’s booming $26 billion generic drug industry and public health sector rejoiced over the Indian Supreme Court’s recent decision to reject a patent filed by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, Novartis for their landmark leukemia drug, Gleevec. Novartis received a patent for an earlier variation of Gleevec in 40 countries including Russia, China, and Taiwan. However, India’s troubled IP regime applies an ambiguous standard to patentability, the so-called “enhanced efficacy” for new forms of known substances. India only applies their “efficacy” requirement to the chemical and pharmaceutical drug industry as a protectionist measure. India codified the efficacy requirement in section 3(d) of their patent code and this may contravene with the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) as set forth by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Johnson & Johnson is a very respected brand in the consumer medical devices and pharmaceutical goods industries. Well known for its highly recognizable personal care products, including Band-Aids, Neutrogena and Tylenol, Johnson & Johnson is also a major player in other healthcare fields. Many patent applications published by the USPTO pertain to Johnson & Johnson’s extensive lineup of medical cosmetic products. One application would protect a dermabrasion kit with a detachable head for sensitive skin, and another was filed to protect a system of manufacturing bacteria-resistant contact lenses. Two other recent patent applications that we feature here are for punctal plugs and eye misting devices that can deliver medication directly to the body through the incredibly permeable membranes within the eye.