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Biotech News IP law update Regular intellectual property news from Australia and overseas. |
- IP claims hits health network
- Pharma companies use line extensions to side step generics
- Qld Biodiscovery Act comes into effect
IP claims hits health network
November 23 – The Australian Pharmacy Guild and consultancy CR Group have asked IP Australia to examine their joint patent claim for 'a method and system for sharing personal health data' that related to key aspects of the Federal Health Department's HealthConnect medical record-sharing network. The CR Group is also lodging its own application for an allied patent entitled 'a method and system for secure information'. Successful applications could lead to the parties imposing licensing fees on the Federal Government and other similar healthcare data networks.
[Source: The Australian]
Pharma companies use line extensions to side step generics
November 23 – A recent US study has shown that aside from litigation, line extensions are the most common patent strategy against generic competition. The study entitled 'Combating Generics: Pharmaceutical Brand Defence' reveals that 57 per cent of companies have begun researching line extensions for products close to expiration. Seventy-one per cent of these companies expect line extensions to be their predominant defensive strategy over the next three years.
[Source: PRNewswire]
Qld Biodiscovery Act comes into effect
November 12 – Queensland's Biodiscovery Act 2004 has now come into effect, regulating the manner in which research is to be conducted with respect to Queensland biodiversity. 'The act has been welcomed by the industry because it gives them certainty about what they can and can't do while conducting research in Queensland', said Tony McGrady, speaking at the opening of Club Biodiversity in Brisbane. The Act aims to minimise the environmental impact of research by restricting the amount and manner in which biological samples are collected, and brings benefits in the form of royalty payments resulting from successful product commercialisation. Further Information regarding the Act can be found in our 14 September 2004 Feature: Qld Biodiscovery Act 2004
[Source: Ministerial Media Release]
