Private Companies Owning Patents on Patient Genes

[Fiona]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/health/13patent.html?_r=1&hpw

Every day things get a little weirder.

[vlhperry]

Old News. Tried to stir things up on this topic about three years ago, but no one picked up on it.

Vicky

[bandido1]

It could (or should) be elevated to current news by an investigative report done by Dateline, 20-20, Fox News, MSNBC, or ????? Bob C

[Lara]

Not PD related, but...

http://www.natap.org/2004/HCV/091304_04.htm
n 1987, Chiron scientists Michael Houghton, Ph.D.; Qui-Lim Choo, Ph.D.; and George Kuo, Ph.D., cloned and first identified HCV as the cause of transfusion-related non-A, non-B hepatitis. This breakthrough marked the first time a virus was cloned before it had been grown in tissue culture or otherwise isolated. The Chiron scientists received the prestigious Lasker Award in recognition of this discovery. Since the initial work, Chiron has been granted more than 100 HCV-related patents in over 20 countries, including patents directed to hepatitis C polypeptides encoded throughout the genomes of HCV.

http://hepcproject.typepad.com/hep_c_project/2004/06/chirons_hepatit.html
Chiron's Hepatitis C Patents
2004

The Los Angeles Times reports that Chiron, the California biotech responsible for the identification of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the 1980s, has introduced a new policy for companies wishing to license its HCV patents. Chiron holds over 100 patents related to the HCV genome, which won't expire until 2015. Any company that develops a new drug targeting hepatitis C (such as a protease inhibitor), or a diagnostic test to detect and measure HCV (viral load; test for screening the blood supply), needs to license Chiron's patents, typically by negotiating a licensing fee and royalties on product sales. Chiron typically charges each company millions of dollars in licensing fees during research and development alone, and makes millions more each year in royalties from HCV tests

Bold added by me.