Loads of COVID-19 related movement happening for Intellectual Property this week. First, the fast-tracking examination is now gaining momentum throughout the world as the Israeli Patent Commissioner announces accelerated review of patent applications concerned with tackling COVID-19. At the same time, the South Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) offers COVID-19 related patent information uploaded on its website in English. Note that the KIPO was the first country to fast-track Covid-19 related patents last month.
On the corporate side, companies start their patent application rush with :
- Tiziana Life Sciences files for a patent for a combination of an antiviral drug and an anti-inflammatory agent believed in providing immediate relief to patients suffering from a severe case of COVID-19.
- United Arab Emirates grants a patent for an innovative process to cure COVID-19, which involves extraction and re-introduction of patient’s stem cells through lungs.
- USPTO issues a patent to Enzo Biochem, Incorporation for its compound which prevents inflammation in COVID-19 patients.
Last but not least, it seems that pooling patent or royalty-free license agreement appears to be the other way to boost COVID-19 treatment research and IP generation. Let’s hope it’s not just an elaborate bait:
- US Navy Lab offers royalty-free patent licence agreements to companies intending to battle COVID-19.
- Gilead claims that it is ready to collaborate with governments and pharma companies, and set even to consider proposals of pooling its patent to provide access to its patented drug, Remdesivir touted to treat COVID-19.