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Warning: Research Dollars At Risk!
Before the clinical trials are run, before the Food and Drug Administration approves, before hope is held out to millions of patients, new drugs start with scientists asking elemental questions about human life. Now, the pipeline that leads from their laboratories through drug development to the FDA may be shut off at the source.
Contrary to the interests of everyone, the monies that fund small biotechnology companies and university labs could dry up. The villains are a few seemingly unrelated judicial decisions and the increasing complexity of biotech research itself. Together, they may serve to discourage the basic science on which medical advancement depends. Biotech companies anchor one end of the pipeline that produces new drugs. Along with major universities, they perform the risky experiments that lead to possible breakthroughs in medicine. They also develop the cutting-edge tools that permit this research, such as screening methods for new chemicals that might be transformed into medical cures, and computer programs to better design those chemicals. Then, their patented ideas are licensed or sold to the large pharmaceutical companies. The strength of “Big Pharma” lies in refining those research results into the next generation of medical treatments and devices – and then selling them. To keep the new drugs flowing, therefore, it is critical that patent law and practice support the ability of biotech companies and universities to stay in the lab. Unfortunately, the balance between the needs of patent holders and researchers may be upset.
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It
Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?
Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough
There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.
The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later
The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.
A Lawyer's System for Active Reading
Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.
Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls
With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.