The Role of University Technology Transfer Operations in Assuring Access to Medicines and Vaccines in Developing Countries

Universities that attempt to use patents arising from academic research to make medical treatments available in developing countries are caught in a paradox of the patent system. Simply put, if all the medicines and vaccines needed in developing countries existed today, one would wish the patent system to disappear. The absence of patents on medicines and vaccines would presumably allow maximum competition and drive prices down, thereby maximizing affordability and availability. In reality, adequate treatments and preventatives do not exist for many diseases common to the developing world. If one wishes to encourage industry to use its skills and resources in the discovery, development, testing, quality control, and distribution of new drugs and vaccines, patent protection may be necessary to provide the incentive for industrial participation. Few, if any, companies will start on the long trail of new drug discovery and development unless they can depend on patent protection from competition should a drug prove successful. Thus, we come to the conclusion that patents are neither inherently bad nor inherently good for this purpose. Like all tools, they must be used wisely

Intellectual Property Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: Executive Guide

Prepared by and for policy-makers, leaders of public sector research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists, this online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies for utilizing the power of both intellectual property and the public domain. Emphasis is placed on advancing innovation in health and agriculture, though many of the principles outlined here are broadly applicable across technology fields. Eschewing ideological debates and general proclamations, the authors always keep their eye on the practical side of IP management. The site is based on a comprehensive Handbook and Executive Guide that provide substantive discussions and analysis of the opportunities awaiting anyone in the field who wants to put intellectual property to work. This multi-volume work contains 153 chapters on a full range of IP topics and over 50 case studies, composed by over 200 authors from North, South, East, and West. If you are a policymaker, a senior administrator, a technology transfer manager, or a scientist, we invite you to use the companion site guide available at http://www.iphandbook.org/index.html The site guide distills the key points of each IP topic covered by the Handbook into simple language and places it in the context of evolving best practices specific to your professional role within the overall picture of IP management

Intellectual Property Management in Health and Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook of Best Practices, Vol. 1

Prepared by and for policy-makers, leaders of public sector research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists, this online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies for utilizing the power of both intellectual property and the public domain. Emphasis is placed on advancing innovation in health and agriculture, though many of the principles outlined here are broadly applicable across technology fields. Eschewing ideological debates and general proclamations, the authors always keep their eye on the practical side of IP management. The site is based on a comprehensive Handbook and Executive Guide that provide substantive discussions and analysis of the opportunities awaiting anyone in the field who wants to put intellectual property to work. This multi-volume work contains 153 chapters on a full range of IP topics and over 50 case studies, composed by over 200 authors from North, South, East, and West. If you are a policymaker, a senior administrator, a technology transfer manager, or a scientist, we invite you to use the companion site guide available at http://www.iphandbook.org/index.html The site guide distills the key points of each IP topic covered by the Handbook into simple language and places it in the context of evolving best practices specific to your professional role within the overall picture of IP management

アタラシイ サンギョウ ギジュツ ノ ゲンセン トシテ ノ サンガク レンケイ : カキョウ ノ コウチク

http://library.naist.jp/mylimedio/dllimedio/show.cgi?bookid=100009346&oldid=1432

The Role of University Technology Transfer Operations in Assuring Access to Medicines and Vaccines in Developing Countries

Universities that attempt to use patents arising from academic research to make medical treatments available in developing countries are caught in a paradox of the patent system. Simply put, if all the medicines and vaccines needed in developing countries existed today, one would wish the patent system to disappear. The absence of patents on medicines and vaccines would presumably allow maximum competition and drive prices down, thereby maximizing affordability and availability. In reality, adequate treatments and preventatives do not exist for many diseases common to the developing world. If one wishes to encourage industry to use its skills and resources in the discovery, development, testing, quality control, and distribution of new drugs and vaccines, patent protection may be necessary to provide the incentive for industrial participation. Few, if any, companies will start on the long trail of new drug discovery and development unless they can depend on patent protection from competition should a drug prove successful. Thus, we come to the conclusion that patents are neither inherently bad nor inherently good for this purpose. Like all tools, they must be used wisely

Lita Nelsen (interviewed by Amber VanHemel)

Interview conducted with an MIT alumna as part of the Margaret MacVicar Memorial AMITA (Association of MIT Alumnae) Oral History Project. The purpose of the project is to document the life histories of women graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology