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Gene patents—more evidence needed, but policymakers must act

Nature Biotechnology volume 25, pages 388–389 (2007)Cite this article

To the editor:

We congratulate Timothy Caulfield et al. for their analysis of major policy documents on gene patents in the September issue (Nat. Biotechnol. 24, 1091–1095, 2006) for prompting a timely and interdisciplinary dialog on the policy debate about the appropriate role of gene patents and associated license agreements in the healthcare environment, and the significance to be assigned to the limited empirical evidence available. The authors make several noteworthy points, especially on the importance of the Myriad controversy (relating to that company's US patents on BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations) to policy development and their clarification of the distinction between patenting and a more general move toward commercialization. Our comments here expand on important points touched upon by Caulfield et al.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Intellectual Property Policy, McGill University, 3661 Peel Street, Montreal, H3A 1X1, Quebec, Canada

    E Richard Gold

  2. School of Business, University of Alberta, 3-30D Business Building, Edmonton, T6G 2R6, Alberta, Canada

    Tania Bubela

  3. Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Health Sciences Centre, Room 3H1A, 1200 Main Street West, Hamilton, L8N 3Z5, Ontario, Canada

    Fiona A Miller

  4. Centre for Law and Genetics, Law Faculty Building, Private Bag 89, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7001, Tasmania, Australia

    Dianne Nicol

  5. Faculty of Law, McGill University, 3664 Peel Street, Montreal, H3A 1W9, Quebec, Canada

    Tina Piper

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Gold, E., Bubela, T., Miller, F. et al. Gene patents—more evidence needed, but policymakers must act. Nat Biotechnol 25, 388–389 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0407-388

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