Patent Baristas

GenoMed announced today that it has filed a patent application on two genes linked to common cancers.  These are the first new disease genes the company has filed on since its multiple patent applications on ACE, a "master" disease gene. The first gene, involved in copying DNA, was linked specifically to pancreatic and ovarian cancers, […]

Although an FDA advisory panel voted 20-3 Friday to recommend against allowing Merck to sell over-the-counter (OTC) Mevacor, a cholesterol-lowering statin drug, Bristol-Myers Squibb is seeking approval of a 20-milligram OTC version of Pravachol. "We are continuing a robust program to provide the FDA with the information it needs," company spokesman Rob Hutchison says. "Our […]

St. Jude Medical settled a 2000 patent infringement suit with heart-valve technology company Edwards Lifesciences Corp.  Edwards will receive a $5.5 million payment, and St. Jude Medical will get paid-up licenses for certain of its heart valve therapy products. In the suit, Edwards claimed St. Jude Medical infringed on three of Edwards’ patents, two relating […]

Force Field Wireless claims to have developed a solution to the international menace of marauding geek wardrivers – DefendAir paint "laced with copper and aluminum fibers that form an electromagnetic shield, blocking most radio waves and protecting wireless networks". According to a South Florida Sun Sentinel article, one coat of the water-based paint "shields Wi-Fi, […]

Amgen Inc. has added a warning to its anemia drug Aranesp after studies showed high doses of similar drugs can cause blood clots and death.  Aranesp is widely used to treat anemia in adult cancer patients as well as chronic kidney disease.  Some researchers had thought elevating hemoglobin might boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy and […]

InPharma reported that the European Commission, the biotech industry and Chinese government are funding a project aimed at safety in nanobiotechnology. As Philips and GE Healthcare are working on the development of nanomaterials for use in patients, a portion of the $15.6 million will be directed towards studies of the in vitro and in vivo […]

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) marked the filing of the one millionth international patent application under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) in the 26-year history of the PCT.  The Director General observed "While it took 22 years to receive the first half million PCT patent applications, it took only 4 years to top the […]

The inventor of an LED technology has reluctantly agreed to a record settlement from his former employer in a dispute. Shuji Nakamura, now a professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will receive 840 million yen ($8.1 million) from his former employer, the Nichia Corporation, for inventing blue-light-emitting diodes. Nichia secured lucrative patents for […]