Comments on: New Breast Cancer Gene Lawsuit Aims to End to All Gene Patenting. Will it Succeed?

By: Luis Mills

Luis Mills — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:25:29 +0000

I think it is a tough issue because there really needs to be a balance on both sides. The pharmaseutical companies need a financial incentive to do expensive research and development. That's how we get the medicine and advanced technology to change things. It does make it hard when they don't share anything but maybe it should be more of they have the jump on things for a period of a few years and after that the patent opens up. That already happens for a lot of drugs which is why for a period of time you get no generics but then when that period expires, the opportunity for generics opens up. It will be interesting to see how it plays out as reported by the internet and television.

By: Carol

Carol — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 00:57:32 +0000

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By: Law Suit Loans

Law Suit Loans — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:08:10 +0000

It’s a difficult issue. Especially as I *know* that one of the reasons phage therapy is going nowhere fast is because it’s really difficult to patent.

By: Stephanie Robin

Stephanie Robin — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:22:10 +0000

Thank you for posting such important information. My name is Stephanie Robin and I am fighting Stage IV Metastatic Breast Cancer and have been sharing my story through my organization, THINK PINK. Each day I am amazed at the number of people I meet who have never heard of the Breast Cancer Gene (BRCA). I am on a mission to spread the word and help as many men and women as possible. Had I known about the BRCA gene, the past five years of my life may not have consisted of many grueling chemotherapy treatments and painful surgeries, let alone the daily fear of my children losing their mommy long before I had a chance to raise them. My THINK PINK team and I have a lofty goal to collect ONE MILLION clicks by Dec. 31, 2009. I invite you and your readers to help me in my mission – a simple click is all it takes!!! Please visit http://www.thinkpinkrocks.com and click to be counted and acknowledge that you now have the information that could save your life. Please share this link with your friends and family. It’s too important not to. Thank you XOXO.

By: Virginia Cable TV

Virginia Cable TV — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:35:49 +0000

I Don’t conceive private industry should be granted any monopoly on any broad factor research. Patents and copyrights shoudld be granted to specific things only, as getting a patent on an entire factor doesn’t create an motivator to innovate, it creates an motivator to get as many patents as doable and multitude them.

By: rx1 zayıflama

rx1 zayıflama — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:04:54 +0000

I do think a challenge to gene patents could be made for the reasons asserted in the complaint, it just ought to be made as an administrative appeal through the USPTO followed by an appeal to the Federal Circuit.

By: Omer Altay

Omer Altay — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 06:33:43 +0000

I Don’t think private industry should be granted any monopoly on any broad gene research. Patents and copyrights shoudld be granted to specific things only, as getting a patent on an entire gene doesn’t create an incentive to innovate, it creates an incentive to get as many patents as possible and horde them.

By: bendy

bendy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:42:47 +0000

While I don’t understand half the jargon you lot are using – I can only relate the corporations that patent genes to the giant that is Microsoft.
It’s mentioned earlier in these comments that science should be open source and available to all, but also that money is needed to provide funding.
It really comes as no surprise, however, that when something is open source (e.g. linux) then the developments that come from that from people who work on it’s advancement on a not-for-gain basis are well ahead of the developments in the program that requires investment. By that I mean that anything that Microsoft comes up with, linux has already achieved many moons before it – in essence they are stealing material that can’t be copyrighted as it’s written in a different format.
Very simplistic view I know, but I can only assume that an open source approach to genetic science would see advancement far quicker than that of an investment approach. Unfortuantely, money hinders advancement, always has and always will.

By: Katherine

Katherine — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 19:00:42 +0000

I have been tested positive for a deleterious mutation, using Myriad BRCA testing and am about to have surgery on June 29th. I feel reassured that Myriad is not distributing my information for multiple reasons. I spoke with a geneticist prior to receiving the test as well as the test results. They inform you that just because your test results come back negative does not mean your chances of still getting breast/ovarian cancer down the road is not obsolete. Going through this process I was not going to base my results on whether or not I should have a prophylactic mastectomy, ( I was going to have it done one way or another ) rather knowing these results would reassure me to whether or not I need to be concerned now and take action or if I would be able to wait (as when you have the breast cancer gene your statistics are 80-90% at any age! Where as most women start looking for breast cancer after the age of forty.) Also if you turn out to be positive your children have a 50% chance of also receiving the mutated gene and the parents test can be used as a landmark for your childrens test. By all means this is all quite controversial and could be argued endlessly, but until you see a loved one die before your eyes in such a destructive manner one could not understand the relief one might encounter after assured results from a test and a proactive plan for their health management is set in place.

By: opony triangle

opony triangle — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 04:50:41 +0000

posts like this still give me a hope…