USPTO grants another CRISPR patent to Charpentier
The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued a third CRISPR patent to inventor Emmanuelle Charpentier, one of the key figures in the CRISPR landscape.
Canadian drug distributor rebuts FDA criticism
Pharmaceutical distributor CanaRx Services has hit back at criticism from the US Food and Drug Administration over the Canadian company’s alleged supply of unapproved and misbranded drugs.
Merck partners with King’s College London to develop painkillers
King’s College London has entered a licensing and collaboration agreement with US pharmaceutical company Merck & Co to develop new chronic pain medications.
FDA to alter biosimilar ‘suffix’ policy
The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday announced draft revisions to its policy on the naming of biosimilars, in an attempt to appease critics who say that renaming previously-licensed products is too expensive.
USITC to investigate blood separation devices
The US International Trade Commission has instituted an investigation into certain blood separation and cell preparation devices.
Activist group opposes lettuce patent
Activist group No Patents on Seeds has filed an opposition against a patent on lettuce, owned by Dutch food supplier Rijk Zwaan Zaadteelt.
Fed Circuit refuses to rehear Allergan and tribe Restasis ruling
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit yesterday, March 6, refused to rehear a decision which found Allergan and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe’s patents for dry-eye treatment Restasis (cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion) are invalid.
EU court rejects appeal over ex-Allergan TM
The EU General Court today, March 6, rejected an appeal against an European Union Intellectual Property Office decision to reject the registration of a mark formerly owned by Allergan.
FDA chief Gottlieb resigns after nearly two years
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, resigned from his post yesterday, March 5, with plans to step down in the next month.
‘Breaking’ patents would harm innovation: think tank
The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation think tank has called on the US National Institutions of Health to maintain IP protection amid calls to “break” patents in order to lower drug prices.
