Tribal business settles Stanford opioid treatment clash
Dispute centred on patented data to treat opioid addiction | Tribe said it had shared confidential data to develop a cure | Stanford University.
The Tulalip Tribal Federal Corporation, a tribal business wholly owned by the Tulalip Tribes, has agreed to settle its dispute with Stanford University over drugs used to treat opioid addiction.
Yesterday, November 29, the parties filed a notice of settlement and a proposed order to stay the case at the US District Court for the Western District of Washington, noting that they had executed a binding term sheet reaching agreement on key settlement terms.
“Here, all factors warrant a stay. There is no hardship or damage posed by granting a stay. Moreover, granting a stay should allow the parties to resolve this case entirely, thereby saving judicial resources, as well as the resources of the parties to this action and the other proceedings,” said the filing.
It added: “The parties have already executed a binding settlement term sheet. The parties need additional time to finalise their complete settlement agreement.”
Back in October last year, the Tulalip accused Stanford of breaking an agreement for developing a cure for treating opioid addiction.
The tribe said it had shared confidential research information and proprietary data with Stanford’s Behavioral and Functional Neuroscience Laboratory “in the hopes of developing a cure and patenting it" under the Tulalip’s name.
The Tulalip Tribal Federal Corporation said that, so far, it had paid more than $3 million to fund the research study.
According to the suit, the research yielded promising and patentable results for treating opioid addiction with an isolated fraction of natural cannabinoid oil extract. However, claimed the tribe, Stanford “promptly broke their promise”.
The suit alleged that Stanford had “secretly duplicated” the isolated fraction and applied for a provisional patent for a synthetic version.
Under the agreement, said the tribe, Stanford had promised to disclose the results of the research that used Tulalip Tribal Federal Corporation’s confidential information and proprietary data.
However, Stanford allegedly disclaimed any obligation to disclose the documents because its patent application was limited to “synthetic chemical compounds” that didn’t rely on the tribe’s confidential information or money.
"Stanford did not choose the forthcoming approach. Instead, using monies and confidential information it received from Tulalip Tribal Federal Corporation, Stanford applied for a provisional patent application with the likely outcome that Stanford will commercialise the inventions derived from Tulalip Tribal Federal Corporation’s confidential information and proprietary data to enrich itself,” alleged the suit.
The tribe added that it had brought the action to “hold Stanford accountable for its breach of contract, protect the value of [its] confidential information and proprietary data, and ensure that the goal of producing a cure for the opioid crisis has not been subverted”.
