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14 August 2020Big PharmaJakob Wested and John Liddicoat

The right recipe for the repurposing omelette

The repurposing of drugs that have been approved for treating other viruses has gained unprecedented media attention during the  COVID-19 pandemic. Lawyers persistently criticise second  medical use patent claims as pointless, yet pharmaceutical companies continue to obtain and litigate them. Second medical use patents are probably valuable only occasionally and if standing alone, they are an unstable foundation for a business model.

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