K&L Gates is hosting a free lunchtime webinar featuring John J. Doll, U.S. Commissioner for Patents.

U.S. patent law and practice is in its most dynamic period in recent memory. The landscape of patent laws and regulations is being modified by the Courts, Congress and the USPTO. Recent changes in case law, the Patent Reform Act of 2007, and proposed rules changes combine to make this a unique and challenging time for patent stakeholders.

Hear the U.S. Commissioner for Patents, John Doll, comment on current developments in patents, most especially those occurring at the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office, and participate in questions and answers.

Moderator: Stephen C. Glazier, K&L Gates, Washington, D.C. office

Registration is complimentary; however, virtual seating is limited, so please register as soon as possible here.

Webinar log-in instructions will be circulated via email prior to the program.

For further questions, e-mail Nancy Feldman or call 617.951.9257.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. (EDT)

Webinar Schedule:  Log-in opens: 11:45 a.m.  Program: 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.

Posted May 1st, 2008 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences
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The Intellectual Property Owners association (IPO) recently reported on the fifteen possible Judiciary Committee Amendments to S. 1145, that were circulated by the Judiciary Committee last week. IPO noted that the amendments do not address the most hotly debated portions of the bill. Meanwhile, IPO believes Senate leaders will attempt to pass the much-delayed, massive patent reform bill S. 1145 in April or May.

The PharmaBiotech IP Summit held on May 28-30 at the Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia will be addressing how this reform could impact IP practitioners within the pharmaceutical & biotech industries. A high level panel featuring John T. Li from Novartis, Gary Creason from AVEO Pharmaceuticals and Robert Hrubiec from Cephalon will kick off the summit and focus on understanding the reform efforts and what the patent office is attempting to do.

Other speakers include Kathleen Fonda, Legal Advisor Office Of Patent Legal Administration, USPTO, James Gould from Schering-Plough, Robert Hrubiec, VP Intellectual Property and Chief Patent Counsel, Cephalon, Lee Caffin, DVP Global IP Strategy for Abbott Laboratories, and Luisa Bigornia, Vice President Intellectual Property, BioMarin Pharmaceutical.

What:  PharmaBiotech IP USA 2008:  Protect Critical Patents and Drive Sustainable Growth Through IP-Driven Business Strategies. 

When:  28-30 May, 2008. 

Where:  Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia, PA.

Update:  Patent Baristas readers save 15% off registration to Pharmabiotech IP with code 13299.001XZ299.

For more information: www.pharmabiotech-ip.com
Email:  pharmabiotech-ip@wbresearch.com

Posted March 17th, 2008 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences
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The IP Department of Frost Brown Todd LLC will once again be a sponsor of the BioOhio conference in Columbus, OH. This year’s BioOhio 2007 focus is “Devices & Diagnostics,” recognizing both sectors’ rapid growth and convergence with other bioscience fields.

On November 12, we convene with a networking reception featuring great food and drink, sponsors’ exhibit booths, door prizes, the 4th Annual Ohio Bioscience Student Poster Competition, and a first-time device/diagnostics product showcase.

The next day, November 13, features an agenda with local and national experts on advanced medical technology industry trends, regulatory issues, venture capital, and education, including FDA Clinical Deputy Director Ron Yustein, MD.

I’ll be there handing out Patent Baristas coffee mugs and Kona coffee.  Stop by and pick one up if you’re attending the conference.  

Special Offer: 

I have One (1) complimentary full registration for the BioOhio Conference.  If you’d like to take advantage of this offer, simply email me your name along with company, title and email address as soon as possible. 

The Fine print: 

One entry per person. We reserve the right to disqualify any entry that looks like it isn’t legitimate. The winner will be contacted at the email address given. Failure to respond within 24 hours will result in the registration being given to someone else. The winner will randomly be selected from all entries received by 5:00 pm (EST) on Friday, November 9th, 2007. Your email address will not be shared with any third party. Sorry, no refunds, substitutions or exchanges, not available to clients or family members and void where prohibited.

For more information on BioOhio 2007, contact Matt Schutte at 614/675-3686. See a full agenda or register online here.

See you in Columbus!

Posted November 8th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences
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I will be at the Cleveland Clinic Medical Innovation Summit next week. Cleveland Clinic, ranked America’s Top Heart Hospital, will host the 2007 Medical Innovation Summit, October 1-3 2007.

Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Innovation Summit is an international gathering of health care, business and media leaders, all offering insight into what drives medical innovation. The 2007 Medical Innovation Summit will highlight new techniques, economics and trends in cardiovascular technologies.

Also featured will be the Cleveland Clinic’s annual selection of the “Top 10″ health care innovations, live, interactive surgeries, and in-depth debates on industry challenges and opportunities.

The featured moderator is CNN’s Larry King but other speakers include Ted Strickland, Governor of Ohio, Bill Hawkins, CEO, Medtronic, Steve Hemsley, CEO, UnitedHealth Group, Kerry Clark, CEO, Cardinal Health, Sidney Taurel, CEO, Eli Lilly and George Buckley, CEO & President, 3M, among many others.

If you are planning to attend this year’s Summit, drop me a line and we can meet up for coffee (just not over live surgery).

Posted September 29th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences
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What Is It?

Camargo Pharmaceutical Services is offering a one-day training workshop to help those without drug expertise understand the basic aspects of drug discovery; drug effects, clinical development and testing of drugs; bioanalytical chemistry, and drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in the body.

Who Should Attend?

This course is designed for people working in pharmaceutical drug development or medical communication who do not have strong drug science backgrounds. It is aimed at clinicians, medical writers, CRAs, study coordinators, data managers, statisticians, and others.

Who Is Giving It?

This course will be presented by Raymond H. Farmen, Ph.D. Known for his lively and entertaining presentation style, Dr. Farmen earned his Ph.D. in Pharmacology and did post-doctoral work in Biochemistry. He has over 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, working in pharmacokinetics, drug manufacture, and bioanalytical chemistry. Dr. Farmen has authored more than 45 abstracts and publications and has been an invited speaker at more than 20 national and international conferences.

Where Is It?

Camargo Pharmaceutical Services Headquarters, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200, Cincinnati, OH 45052-4760

What Does It Cost?

$950 (US) including all course materials, continental breakfast, and lunch

How Do I Register?

Click here to register or contact Lisa Bostrom at 513.618.0345; learning@camargopharma.com

Posted May 23rd, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences
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As you can imagine, security was quite tight at the convention center during the BIO2007 conference. This was especially evident on Tuesday during the visit of Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. Special Operations officers lined the walkways — I would post a picture but they asked that I not photograph them.

Because of an over-abundance of caution and fear of activists, there were a half-dozen chemical-warfare specialists on hand with special equipment to detect anything from poison gas to biological weapons. There was even this armored vehicle parked nearby:

Despite the stepped up efforts, the security personnel were extremely friendly and every one that I met bent over backwards to answer questions or to help as necessary (they even had me sit on one of the police motorcycles for a photo op).

Overall, it was a quiet and uneventful time for security — just the way everyone wanted it. Apparently, more officers should have been over at the Boston Pops!

Posted May 10th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences, Current Affairs
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On Tuesday late afternoon, a few lone protesters across the street from the BIO2007 International Convention at the Boston convention center caught my eye as they were holding up a large banner that read: “Life Is Not Patentable.” I really wanted to know why they were against patents.

I made my way over to their gathering and talked to a few of the protesters at length. I wanted to understand their point of view. What I found is that biotechnology patents are not their real concern.

Anne Fletcher, an ecologist from Ohio, is not a radical or uninformed. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree and made it very clear that they are not afraid of biotech because they do not understand biotech, they fear biotech because they do understand it. Their fear is of the unintended consequences we may face decades after the fact.

While the group indicated that they are concerned that crops are now manipulated genetically and then planted without fully knowing the consequences, Fletcher indicated that a main concern is the growing trend towards large-scale farming based on only a few select crop strains. While this is really not an issue specific to biotechnology, the industry does play a role in the decrease in biodiversity as farmers plant more acres of fewer strains.

Tom, a vegetarian who declined to give his last name, felt concerned about the fragility of our world’s food supply and about the possibility of unintended consequences, pointing out the recent findings showing fewer insects and seeds to support wildlife with GM sugar beet and rapeseed. He felt that farmers have placed their trust in the hands of the biotech companies and must rely on them to act in a responsible manner.

According to genetic theory, the more uniform a crop is in genetic makeup the more easily it could be wiped out by disease. But, the non-GMO crops currently cultivated are not very diverse either and are already quite genetically similar. Also, unintended and unwanted consequences are not unique to GM plants. Nature manages to come up with a wide selection of new variations all by herself. Others would point out that humans have been genetically modifying our food crops through breeding methods to improve yield since the beginning of farming — only the efficiency has changed.

Despite their banner, the group never really expressed a concern about patents. The take home message was that the industry must ensure adequate testing and safeguards. Biotechnology can be a great force across the planet helping farmers produce higher yields on less land and reducing the amount of harmful chemicals used by many traditional farmers. At the same time, with great power comes great responsibility — to paraphrase the Spider-Man movie.

More at BioVoice.

Posted May 9th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences, Biotech
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While attending BIO2007 in Boston on May 6-9 and will be participating as a blogger on-site at BioVoice, the BIO2007 Conference Exhibitor Hall has been jam-packed with events. With 1,900 exhibitors, 60 pavilions and 60 countries available to stop by and visit, it’s difficult to meet with all those you want and to spend enough time visiting.

For readers of Patent Baristas, I’m passing on some insider information. The best chocolate can be found at the Switzerland pavilion. The best theme-based, game playing is the mini-curling at Saskatchewan. Best new trinket is at novo nordisk, offering slick, colorful pedometers. Ireland even had a visit from Bono — although my pictures are blurry.*

And forget about all the iPod give-aways. The best raffle prize is at the Scientist Magazine, which is offering a chance for a cool red Vespa. They’re also handing out the premier issue of Biotech360, a quarterly magazine for leaders in the biotech industry, which asks the question “Can Biotech Save the Developing World?”  A question for all of us, indeed.

__________________
(*Note: I’m just having some fun. I think it was just someone that looked like Bono. Of the two gentlemen at the Ireland booth, one believed it was Bono while the other thought it was a look-a-like. I can’t offer any proof either way but somehow I image he would be followed around by cameras.)

Posted May 7th, 2007 by Stephen Albainy-Jenei in Conferences, Biotech News
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