George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

USPTO-DOJ Workshop on Promoting Innovation in the Life Science Sector: Day Two Recap

The following post comes from Austin Shaffer, a 2L at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP. 

night view of Washington, D.C.By Austin Shaffer

This past fall, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) hosted day two of their public workshop to discuss the importance of intellectual property rights and pro-competitive collaborations for life sciences companies, research institutions, and American consumers. Read more

IP Scholars Question the Legality and Wisdom of Joint AG Proposal to Seize Remdesivir Patents

The following post comes from Colin Kreutzer, a 2E at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

dictionary entry for the word "innovate"By Colin Kreutzer

While the vaccines are starting to roll out in the fight against COVID-19, the precise timelines for when they will be widely available continue to be uncertain. Read more

Professor Joanna Shepherd Explains Pharmaceutical Product Hopping in New CPIP Policy Brief

pharmaceuticalsCPIP has published a new policy brief by Joanna M. Shepherd, Vice Dean and Thomas Simmons Professor of Law at Emory University School of Law. The brief, entitled The Legal and Industry Framework of Pharmaceutical Product Hopping and Considerations for Future Legislation, discusses the practice of so-called “product hopping,” where a pharmaceutical company turns its focus to newer versions of its existing drugs. Read more

New Paper Looks at “Ill-Advised Legislative Proposals” to Address Pharmaceutical “Evergreening”

The following post comes from Yumi Oda, an LLM Candidate at Scalia Law and a Research Assistant at CPIP.

dictionary entry for the word "innovate"By Yumi Oda

Many believe that drug prices in the U.S. are unnecessarily high because the pharmaceutical industry is exploiting legal loopholes and acquiring dubious patents to extend protection and delay generics from entering the market (so-called “evergreening” behavior by drug innovators). Read more

Recent Developments in the Life Sciences: The Continuing Assault on Innovation by Antitrust Plaintiffs in Lantus

By Erika Lietzan

dictionary entry for the word "innovate"In February, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held, in a direct purchaser antitrust action, that an innovative pharmaceutical company marketing an injectable drug product had “improperly listed” in FDA’s Orange Book a patent claiming a mechanism used in the drug’s delivery device. Read more

CPIP Scholars Join Comments to FTC on How Antitrust Overreach is Threatening Healthcare Innovation

dictionary entry for the word "innovate"On December 21, 2018, CPIP Senior Scholars Adam Mossoff and Kristen Osenga joined former Federal Circuit Chief Judge Randall Rader and SIU Law’s Mark Schultz in comments submitted to the FTC as part of its ongoing Competition and Consumer Protection in the 21st Century Hearings. Read more

Recognizing the Limits of Government Procurement in the Pharmaceutical Industries

pharmaceuticalsWhile recent headlines claim that rising drug prices can be easily addressed through government intervention, the procedures involved with government use of patented technologies are complex and often misunderstood. In addition to owning and practicing a vast portfolio of patents, the government has the power to procure and use patented technologies—including pharmaceutical medicines—in limited circumstances without specific authorization, license, or consent. Read more

A Cure Worse Than the Disease? Proposed Changes to European Patent Law are Threatening Pharmaceutical Innovation

a hand reaching for a hanging, shining keyInnovation is all around us. We love and appreciate the latest video games, software apps, and smartphones. We await the integration of self-driving cars and other forms of artificial intelligence. Beyond the gadgets and luxuries we think we can’t live without, there are even more essential products that affect the lives of millions around the world on a daily basis. Read more

Proposal for Drug Price Controls is Legally Unprecedented and Threatens Medical Innovation

dictionary entry for the word "innovate"By Adam Mossoff, Sean O’Connor, & Evan Moore*

The price of the miracle drugs everyone uses today is cause for concern among people today. The President has commented on it. Some academics, lawyers, and policymakers have routinely called for the government to “do something” to lower prices.  Read more

New CPIP Policy Brief: An Unwise Move to Discriminate Against Pharmaceutical Patents

enlarged image of a moleculeCPIP has published a new policy brief entitled An Unwise Move to Discriminate Against Pharmaceutical Patents: Responding to the UN’s Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Patent Examination.

The brief, written by CPIP Senior Scholar and UMKC Professor of Law Chris Holman, analyzes the UN’s recent Guidelines for Pharmaceutical Patent Examination, which are influential in the policy debates regarding the role of patented pharmaceuticals in public health. Read more