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Patent controversies and court cases: cancer diagnosis, therapy and prevention.

ABSTRACT: Patents are issued essentially by all countries on inventions that are deemed novel, non-obvious, clearly described and of significant utility or industrial application. The only exceptions to patenting an invention are abstract ideas, laws of nature and natural phenomena, although the exceptions vary depending on countries where moral, public order or human rights considerations are also taken into account. Although patent laws are updated over decades, the rapid progress of science creates situations that the patent laws on the book cannot address, leading to contentious legal issues. This is often true for life saving drugs, particularly drugs for cancers or HIV/AIDS, which are expensive and beyond the reach of poor people because of the proprietary positions of these patented drugs. Another contentious issue is the patent eligibility of human genes and mutations that are often thought of nature's contribution to human health and propagation and should be beyond the reach of patentability. In this review, we address some of these current legal issues and their implications for the development of diagnostic methods, therapeutic interventions and even prevention for cancer, a scourge of mankind.

SUBMITTER: Fialho AM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3493429 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Patent controversies and court cases: cancer diagnosis, therapy and prevention.

Fialho Arsenio M AM Chakrabarty Ananda M AM

Cancer biology & therapy 20120906 13

Patents are issued essentially by all countries on inventions that are deemed novel, non-obvious, clearly described and of significant utility or industrial application. The only exceptions to patenting an invention are abstract ideas, laws of nature and natural phenomena, although the exceptions vary depending on countries where moral, public order or human rights considerations are also taken into account. Although patent laws are updated over decades, the rapid progress of science creates sit ...[more]

PMID: 22954683

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Project description:Background Patent ductus venosus (PDV) is a rare form of congenital portosystemic shunt. Because of the diversity of clinical symptoms and insufficient knowledge of this condition, clinicians often fail to perform targeted examinations, resulting in missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses. This study summarized the clinical and radiological findings, as well as surgical methods, of PDV with the aim of improving early diagnosis and guiding treatment. Methods Clinical, laboratory, and radiologic data of patients with PDV were analyzed retrospectively. In all, 9 patients with PDV were included in the study (7 male, 2 female; median age 1.6 years, age range 16 days to 16.5 years). Results Data for all 9 patients with PDV were reviewed. The most common initial clinical presentations were jaundice and respiratory symptoms. Laboratory data revealed hypoxemia in 5 patients, hyperammonemia in 2, hyperbilirubinemia in 7, abnormal coagulation function in 6, abnormal myocardial enzymes in 4, hepatic dysfunction in 8, and renal dysfunction in 3. The direct imaging sign of PDV was a vascular structure connecting the left branch of the portal vein (LPV) to the inferior vena cava. Secondary imaging findings observed in all 9 patients were dilated right heart, pulmonary artery, and LPV, and an atrophic right branch of the portal vein. The main portal vein was dilated in 8 patients and shrunk in 1. Moreover, 8 patients had enlarged livers, and 3 presented with hypoperfusion in the right lobe of the liver. The spleen was enlarged in 8 patients but shrunk in 1. Renal imaging was abnormal in 2 patients. Hepatic encephalopathy was found in 4 patients; 7 patients had PDV combined with other malformations, with congenital heart disease and vascular abnormalities being the most common; 3 patients successfully underwent surgical ligation of PDV. Conclusions PDV can lead to multisystem damage. Secondary radiological signs of PDV play an important role in early diagnosis and preoperative evaluation. Complications and coexisting malformations were common and should not be missed during preoperative evaluation. Early surgical closure for PDV is recommended.

Project description:Preterm birth is one of the major global health problems and part of the Millennium Development goals because of the associated high number of perinatal or neonatal mortality and long-term risks of neurodevelopmental and metabolic diseases. Transvaginal sonography has meanwhile been established as a screening tool for spontaneous preterm birth despite its relatively low sensitivity when considering only the cervical length. Vaginal progesterone has been shown to reduce prematurity rates below 34 weeks in a screening population of singleton pregnancies. Up to now, no positive long-term effect could be demonstrated after 2 years. It seems to have no benefit to prolong pregnancies after a period of preterm contractions and in risk patients without cervical shortening. Meta-analyses still demonstrate conflicting results dependent on quality criteria used for selection. A cerclage is only indicated in singleton pregnancies with previous spontaneous preterm birth and a combined cervical shortening in the current pregnancy. Nevertheless, the short- and long-term outcome has never been evaluated, whereas maternal complications may be increased. There is no evidence for a prophylactic cervical cerclage in twin pregnancies even in cases with cervical shortening. Emergency cerclage remains an indication after individual counseling. The effect of a cervical pessary in singleton pregnancy seems to be more pronounced in studies where a few investigators with increasing experience have treated and followed the patients at risk for preterm birth. Mainly in twin pregnancies, pessary treatment seems to be promising compared to other treatment options of secondary prevention when the therapy is started at early stages of precocious cervical ripening. At present, several international trials with the goal to reduce global rates of prematurity are in progress which will hopefully allow to specify the indications and methods of intervention for certain subgroups. When trials are summarized, prospective meta-analyses carry a lower risk of bias than the meanwhile uncontrolled magnitude of retrospective meta-analyses with conflicting results.

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Patent controversies and court cases: cancer diagnosis, therapy and prevention.

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Patent controversies and court cases: cancer diagnosis, therapy and prevention.

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