The Economist: Patently Absurd

The Economist recently published an interesting opinion article on the impact of innovation on the economy — specifically the negative impact of patent backlogs on business (particularly small entrepreneurial business). Patently Absurd INNOVATION and jobs have become a modern version of motherhood and apple pie in Washington, DC. Everyone in America’s capital wants lots more [...]

WIPO marks 2 millionth international patent filing

The World Intellectual Property Organization recently marked the filing of the two-millionth international patent application under WIPO’s Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). The PCT makes it easier for companies and inventors to seek patent rights in multiple countries as a single application under the PCT has legal effect in all 142 countries bound by the treaty. [...]

IBM supercomputer applied to medicine

The computer that defeated humanity’s finest Jeopardy players in February isn’t stopping at game show domination. Its creators have been busy retrofitting ‘Watson’ to help doctors diagnose and treat patients. (Source:  Mashable) IBM has partnerships with eight major universities to get medical data for Watson’s information base and to help find the best ways for physicians [...]

Lupus drug approved – first in last 50 years

As reported by Scientific American, the autoimmune disease lupus has confounded drug developers for more than 50 years. But a new therapy finally broke through that barrier yesterday when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the approval of Benlysta (belimumab) for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. This breakthrough has been a long time [...]

WIPO to support innovation in Nigeria

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has announced plans to strengthen Nigeria’s technology innovation centres with particular reference to the Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) established by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) in tertiary institutions and research centres across the country. WIPO will help strengthen existing national capacities through the [...]

Joint venture aims to develop new rotavirus vaccine for poor

A joint venture between U.S. drugmaker Merck and Britain’s Wellcome Trust charity is working on an oral rotavirus vaccine designed to be cheaper and easier to use than current shots, as reported by Reuters. The vaccine will aim to protect against diarrhoea-causing rotavirus infections and will be based on thin strips or granules that dissolve in [...]

New malaria vaccine shows long-lasting protection

(From Reuters) An experimental malaria vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline provides African children with long-lasting protection, though its effectiveness declines slightly over time, according to recently published trial data.  Scientists conducting the mid-stage trial at the Kenya Medical Research Institute said results showing the shot offered 46 percent protection for 15 months meant it had “promise as [...]

Medical Innovation at the Crossroads: Choosing the Path Ahead

Watching an interesting webcast of an event hosted by the Council for American Medical Innovation - Medical Innovation at the Crossroads: Choosing the Path Ahead. Watch it live – event runs until 12:30 pm today. http://www.americanmedicalinnovation.org/live

The Promise of American Medical Innovation

Ahead of its symposium Wednesday (Medical Innovation at the Crossroads:  Choosing the Path Ahead), the Council for American Medical Innovation released a Web video on the impact of medical innovation on American life and its potential (as reported by POLITICO Pulse).  The symposium includes U.S. Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra, former House Majority Leader Dick Gephardt, [...]

Stem cell transplant has cured HIV infection in ‘Berlin patient’

National AIDS Manual (NAM) reports that doctors who carried out a stem cell transplant on an HIV-infected man with leukaemia in 2007 say they now believe the man to have been cured of HIV infection as a result of the treatment, which introduced stem cells which happened to be resistant to HIV infection. The man [...]