Patent Baristas

There seems to be a lot of angst these days over the U.S. patent system. Generally, complaints come from those who feel they can’t do whatever it is they want to do and they want new rules.  Now, the Council on Foreign Relations has released a study, entitled “Reforming the U.S. Patent System: Getting the […]

Matt Buchanan at Promote the Progress has an article on some clues about the direction in which patent reform will move once the 110th Congress convenes. Senator Leahy, the incoming chair of the Judiciary Committee, wants patent reform to include efforts “to increase access to essential medicines throughout the world” saying he intends “to redouble […]

Under current law, if a drug company wants to promote a new use of its drug, it can do so by submitting an efficacy supplement to the FDA and getting that use onto the label. Or, the company can rely on off-label prescriptions. While federal law makes it illegal for drug companies to promote drugs […]

President Bush gave out an early Christmas present to the biotech industry on Tuesday after signing a bill that creates a somewhat controversial bureaucracy that would give tax dollars to private companies and universities to develop vaccines and treatments. The bill, the “Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act” (S. 3678) creates the Biomedical Advanced Research and […]

In the never-ending quest for Google to control the flow of all information on the planet, Google has now released Google Patent Search. And — big surprise — it comes with the too familiar Beta tagline that marks all things Google so that they can disavow any responsibility. With Google Patent Search, you can now […]

I will be on a panel discussion at the American Conference Institute’s Corporate Patent Congress 2007, which will be held in New York City on January 22 and 23. The panel will include Matt Buchanan of Promote the Progress and Doug Sorocco of PHOSITA. We will be discussing “Maximizing Your Corporate Patent Portfolio and Harnessing […]

Thailand’s Ministry Of Public Health has announced plans to grant a five-year, compulsory license to produce a lower-cost version of Merck’s antiretroviral drug Efavirenz — a move that appears to be legal under the World Trade Organization’s Doha Declaration (an amendment to the WTO’s TRIPS Agreement). Thailand is looking to save on the cost of […]

The Blawg Review Editor sent me a tip about Light Cafés in Stockholm, which now offer Swedes the chance to take in a little sun with their morning coffee. Since Stockholm only receives five hours of light a day in winter, patrons at the Iglo Ljuscafé sip their morning brew while soaking in artificial sun […]