Latest News & Features
Americas
The Costa Rican government has asked the World Health Organization to create a voluntary pool to collect patent rights for technologies that are useful for the detection, prevention, control and treatment of the COVID-19 pandemic. 26 March 2020
Africa
Companies registered in the US are hit hardest by the trade in counterfeit medicines, which in 2016 reached $4.4 billion, according to a report from the European Union Intellectual Property Office. 24 March 2020
Generics
Israel has approved generic versions of an HIV antiviral owned by AbbVie for use in treating coronavirus, despite the company still holding patent protection and doubts over its effectiveness. 24 March 2020
Big Pharma
Counterfeit face masks and unauthorised antiviral medication have been seized under Interpol’s annual Operation Pangea, as criminals seek to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic by exploiting demand. 24 March 2020
Europe
UK engineering company Smiths Group is making the IP covering one of its ventilators available to other manufacturers, as part of an industry attempt to tackle the shortage of life-saving equipment. 23 March 2020
Americas
California-based Pacific Biosciences has accused a UK rival of exploiting the coronavirus pandemic in a patent infringement trial. 19 March 2020
Americas
Biogen and the University of Zurich have accused New York-based Creative Biolabs of unlawfully selling copies of Biogen’s aducanumab antibody. 19 March 2020
Medtech
Richard Fawcett, senior associate at Powell Gilbert, outlines why the UK patent system poses no obstacle to the UK government’s rallying call for ventilator production amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 19 March 2020
Americas
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that two Illumina DNA detection patents are valid, in a reversal of a California district court. 19 March 2020
Americas
Labrador Diagnostics, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group, has offered royalty-free licences to third parties for its patent-protected diagnostics technology, just days after suing US-based health startup BioFire, which is attempting to develop COVID-19 testing kits. 19 March 2020