Gavin Reccia, © Gavin Recchia

The decision of the European Patent Office to examine all patent applications within 12 months can unintentionally block companies from filing for life sciences patents in Europe, says Gavin Recchia, Principal of one of Australia’s largest patent attorneys’ firms.

Matti Heikkilä
There’s no way around it: renewables are the future, Matti Heikkilä believes. European Biotechnology talked to the CTO of Finnish bioeconomy company MetGen about what bio-based products need to bring to the table to usurp their fossil-based counterparts. 
Reinhard Hoferichter © Securpharm

The pharmaceutical industry of the European Union is currently toiling at a veritably Herculean task. They jointly took up the fight against falsified pharmaceuticals in the legal supply chain. Forgers have discovered that falsified drugs are a lucrative business. However, the EU legislature has recognised this risk, and responded by passing the Falsified Medicines Directive in 2011. In 2016, it was put in more concrete terms with the delegated regulation, which stipulates the implementation of the directive for prescription drugs.

Penny Owen

Like every sector of the UK economy, life sciences has been beset with uncertainty since the country voted to leave the European Union. Last week prime minister Theresa May finally gave us some clarity on her plans for Brexit, which will allow us to prepare for the future.

Frédéric Gomez

The surprising election of Donald Trump as the next US President led to a spectacular comeback of biotech shares. The long-term prospects depend on Trump’s healthcare strategy and the (much-desired) return of generalist funds.

Jørgen Vestbo - University of Manchester

The randomised clinical trial (RCT) is the gold standard for drug evaluation. RCTs provide the core for drug development and subsequent drug approval often in the form of rigorously designed efficacy trials in carefully selected subjects. In fact, in- and exclusion criteria are often so restrictive that only 17% of patients from outpatient clinics would be eligible for trials in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

claire-skentelbery.jpg

Well, that was a weight off my chest, better out than in, as they say. After Brexit, at least the world will be pulled back into its axis with the election of America’s first woman president and wait a minute, what are you saying? No, that can’t be right he won? Really? REALLY?

Jürgen Dressel and Helmut Buschmann
When the European Patent Office created the Early Certainty Initiative, it looked at the needs of its customers to obtain its IP quickly. However, 25% of all patents granted in Europe come from the life sciences sector where products have long development periods and high failure rates before proof of concept. European Biotechnology spoke with stakeholders from Big Pharma and biotech on how the obligation to examine and grant a patent within 12 months could impact them. 
European Seeds Asscociation

With globally at least 30 million of cases per year, sepsis is a major health threat for which a specific adjunctive sepsis therapy beyond antimicrobial treatment, surgical source control and supportive intensive care measure is still missing.

claire-skentelbery.jpg

Well, those bloody idiots in the UK managed to do it talk themselves from decades of hysteria about straight bananas (entirely fabricated by one B Johnson during his time as a journalist in Brussels) into actually voting to leave.