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Even after the enactment of a patent law in 2000, pharmaceutical and biotech-related inventions are perceived to lack strong product patent protection in Pakistan.
New data indicating underreporting of federal funding in academic biomedical patents highlight the pressing need for greater transparency under the Bayh-Dole Act.
A recent Federal Circuit decision and the reasoning behind it could have a significant impact on the patentability of other life science inventions, even after changes in the patent law.
The Prometheus decision could have dramatic and long-lasting effects on the protection of biotech-related inventions, especially in the areas of diagnostics, biomarkers and personalized medicine.
Patents on genes and other types of biomarkers have caused much controversy, but their importance to diagnostic innovation is in danger of being overlooked.
The provision of a patent system that protects innovators and researchers while ensuring reasonable access to emerging technologies and medical treatments are the key objectives of the Australian government's response to three important reports concerning Australia's patent system and gene patents.