In a decision that will have far-reaching consequences for regenerative medicine, the European Court of Justice has ruled that inventions requiring the destruction of human embryos, or their prior use as base material, cannot be patented under European law if the purpose is purely for scientific research.
The European Court of Justice is scheduled to issue a judgment on 18 October 2011 in a case concerning the patentability of technology based on the use of human embryonic stem cells. The case involves a German researcher, Oliver Brüstle.
Actelion Ltd, the Swiss specialist in treatments for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), said it is making a provision of $577 million (CHF 485 million) for damages awarded by a jury in California.
Bavarian Nordic A/S announced that it has prevailed in a two-year-old arbitration case involving a German research institution regarding rights to the technology underpinning its vaccine portfolio.
It is something of a truism to say that money follows success. It is less easy to say why some companies are more successful than others, and how their successes can be repeated.
The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has struck down a proposal from member states of the European Union to create a new, unified jurisdiction for the litigation of patent disputes saying the proposal is incompatible with the EU treaties.
The US Patent and Trademark Office has awarded a patent to the privately-owned Symphogen A/S of Denmark for an oncology compound that is based on a mixture of two anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc has responded speedily to a new series of tax proposals from the UK government with a commitment to invest more than £500 million in manufacturing infrastructure in the country and to raise venture capital outlays.
A novel licensing deal among two German universities and the UK Medical Research Council’s commercialization arm is expected to lead to the development of a potential new therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.
Reform of the patent system in Europe is once more on the political agenda. On 24 March 2009, the European Commission set in motion a procedure that will give it authority to negotiate the creation of a unified patent litigation system for the European Union.