Patent Baristas

A UK publication, Medical News Today,  has asked for input on how to deal with the growing problem with royalty stacking, the sharing of third-party royalties caused by a multiplicity of overlapping patents. The article states that many companies are forced to pay large amounts to obtain these multiple licenses and, hence, are forced to […]

A new report out says that all federally approved lines of embryonic stem cells are contaminated with a non-human sialic acid molecule.  New research now suggests those lines may not prove useful as therapeutic agents. The sialic acid, Neu5Gc, is found on the surface of some animal cells, e.g., pigs, dogs, and mice, and human […]

Reuters announced that the American Heart Association journal Circulation published an article showing Pfizer Inc.?s Bextra, a COX-2 inhibitor, can triple the risk of heart attack and stroke in certain patients. In the study, the researchers studied mice genetically prone to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis and found that a compound called thromboxane or […]

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 […]

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 […]

In a Forbes article, Matthew Herper lays out his ideas for five ways we could improve the FDA. Fix 1: Pay Up How do we expect to police a $216 billion industry on $300 million per year? FDA Fix 2: Power Up The FDA Give the FDA powerful sticks and carrots to compel drug companies […]