Abbott Cardiovascular Systems Inc., a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories has obtained a US patent No. 9504587 for an intravascular stent device on November 29, 2016. The application for this patent was divided out of a main US application No. 11/507,852 which is now a patent No. 8834554.

A patent grant is not an end in itself. To well reap the benefits of the patent grant, a patentee must ensure the following: a) Payment of patent annuities b) Filing of statement on working of patents c) Recordal of assignments etc. with the patent office

Come October and the scientific community will be geared up for the announcement of Nobel Prizes. In the same vein or rather the other way around, is another event that scientists, especially those with a sense of humor, look forward to. It is the Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, which is a kind of spoof on Nobel Prizes.

Arbutus Biopharma, formerly Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corporation was issued a patent numbered US9404127 and titled, “Non-liposomal systems for nucleic acid delivery” on Aug 2, 2016. Arbutus Biopharma with a primary focus on Hepatitis B infection also addresses RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics and lipid nanoparticle technology.

The Cancer Immunotherapy Pilot Program is a one year program that was implemented on June 29, 2016 by the USPTO for accelerated examination of patent applications directed to cancer immunotherapy. This pilot program is an offshoot of the “National Moonshot Initiative” ...

According to a recent Reuters report, two Indian generic drug manufacturers - BDR Pharma and Lee Pharma have decided to give up on pursuing their compulsory license applications rejected by the Indian patent office “blaming a lack of government support for cheap generics and pressure from Big Pharma”.

In a scenario where the Indian Government is in a hot seat over its so-called “private assurances” to the US authorities on not issuing any more compulsory licenses, the first-of-its-kind agreement between a Canadian Public Hospital and an American Biotechnology Company allowing “not-for-profit” fair use of gene patents benefitting the public is a welcome news.

India based Natco Pharma Ltd. and its US partner, Allergan, Plc, on 23 Dec 2015, announced the out-of-court settlement of the ongoing patent litigation in US courts with Celgene, an American biotechnology company, over generic Lenalidomide (Brand name- Revlimid).

Bacteria of the genus Methylobacterium are, in general, pink-pigmented and are also known as pink-pigmented facultative methylotrophs (PPFM). They utilize reduced one-carbon compounds, such as methanol or methane, as their carbon source. PPFM found on plant leaf surfaces utilize the methanol released by the growing plant cells.

Google has filed a patent application with USPTO for microelectrode arrays that have applications in the field of Optogenetics. Optogenetics combines the use of optics and genetics to control and monitor well-defined events within living cells. It involves the use of light to stimulate light responsive proteins that are expressed in specific cells. Optogenetics was hailed as the “method of the year” ...