KEI Memo on U.S. Legislation to cap price increases on prescription drugs and to enhance the transparency of R&D costs

On April 30, 2019, KEI issued a memorandum to Congress concerning recent proposed measures to cap drug price increases and to increase the transparency of pharmaceutical research and development costs.  Congress is currently considering several bills that touch on these… Continue Reading

Italy’s Draft WHO resolution: Improving the transparency of markets for drugs, vaccines and other health-related technologies

On 1 February 2019, Dr. Giulia Grillo, Italy’s Minister of Health, sent a letter to Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), with an attached “first draft” of a resolution on “Improving the transparency… Continue Reading

2019: KEI Comments Submitted to USTR Special 301 Review

On Thursday February 7, 2019, KEI submitted comments and intent to testify at the hearing for the 2019 US Trade Representative’s Special 301 review process. This year’s hearing will take place on Wednesday February 27, 2019 at the Office of… Continue Reading

KEI comments on the prospective grant of an exclusive patent license: Mutant IDH1 inhibitors useful for treating cancer to Apexx Oncology

(Update: The NIH provided a response to our comments on August 1, 2020) July 10, 2018 Sury Vepa, Ph.D., J.D., Senior Licensing and Patenting Manager National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences National Institutes of Health Email sury.vepa@nih.gov Re: Prospective Grant… Continue Reading

NIH asked to extend comments on proposed license to Atara Biotherapeutics for patents on Anti-Mesothelin Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) for the Treatment of Human Cancer

On July 9, 2018, KEI asked the NIH to extend the deadline for comments described on the Federal Register notice 83 FR 30448 until information about the enrollment and costs of NIH-funded clinical trials involving mesothelin expressing cancers, and trials… Continue Reading

Following KEI request for investigation, Cold Spring Harbor Labs says 7 patents require correction to disclose federal funding

Summary:

  • After KEI filed a complaint with the NIH, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) corrected a failure to disclose funding of at least 7 patented inventions, including one patent for the drug Sprinraza.
  • Since 2012, when federal funding was relevant to an invention, CSHL failed to make a disclosure on a filed patent more than half the time.

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