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The article offers information on the White House of Washington D.C. and the U.S. Congress of and that will calculate the fiscal cliff for 2012. It informs that for pharmaceutical industry the last days of 2012 will mark the end of the patent cliff during which major drug companies lost exclusive rights to sell their billion-dollar cost drugs. It informs that the patent losses and sales declines in pharmaceutical sector have been accompanied by job cuts.

The article relates the struggles and efforts of U.S. chemical engineer Robert S. Langer to explore the potential of chemistry and chemical engineering in changing the world and improving human health care. Information on his polymer drug delivery project is provided. Langer says his efforts to obtain a patent for his polymer systems were turned down five times during the 1971-81 period. He co-founded a company called Enzytech to develop polymeric drug delivery systems.

The article reports on a call by the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama to Congress to pass legislation that would update U.S. patent law to allow the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to gain the resources it needs to process a massive backlog of applications. The PTO needs to decide on as many as 1.2 million applications filed by inventors and entrepreneurs, with the average application taking as almost three years to complete and many taking much longer. The provisions of the Patent Reform Act of 2011 are also examined.

The article focuses on the initiatives of Sangamo BioSciences Inc., a biotechnology company in Richmond, California, to diversify the research and commercialization of zinc finger proteins (ZFPs). It states that the company, which aims to bring the technology in multiple application areas like drug production, leads in ZFP-related patent activity in the U.S. Research analyst Edward Tenthoff says that Sangamo has done a good job in the ZFP asset monetization in non-therapeutic applications.

The article focuses on Pfizer chief executive officer Jeffrey B. Kindler's vision for a redesigned Pfizer that will generate the revenue growth needed to compensate for the pending loss of patent protection on its top-selling drug, Lipitor. The company is committed to beginning 15-20 Phase III trials by the end of 2009 in therapeutic areas such as oncology, pain and diabetes. The company also aims to become a top-tier biopharmaceutical firm.

The article reports that royalties from chemical patents owned by U.S. universities have been helping the universities' chemistry departments and other operations. According to Northwestern's chemistry department chairman Joseph T. Hupp, royalties from its pain and epilepsy drug Lyrica have brought in more than $700 million. Royalties for patents owned by Emory University, Florida State University, New York University, University of Minnesota and Princeton University are also discussed.

The article discusses the impact of the reform of the Patent Act on drugmakers in the U.S. The Act would put limits on the monetary damages patent holders can collect in infringement lawsuits. According to Representative Howard L. Berman, the goal of the Act is to address the inability of current patent law to accommodate different business models. Other provisions of the law are mentioned.

Reports on the patent expirations of generic drug companies in the U.S. Plan of biotechnology firms to launch less expensive drugs; Potential profit of world market for generic biopharmaceuticals by 2008; Requirements for the marketing authorization applications based on the demonstration of the similar nature of two biological medicinal products.

Reports on the improvement of government-supported academics, regulations and economic policies on biotechnology in the U.S. Increase in number of biotechnology patents between 1990 and 2000; Growth of mucosal defense system research at UNC Chapel Hill; Accounts on the licenses of a genetic delivery system for vaccinations.

Reports on developments relevant to the issuance of patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. History of the agency; Criteria for the grant of patents; Procedures for granting patents.

Reports on the strong growth of patents and journal abstracts in the U.S. Increase in the number of chemistry patents and biotechnology patents; Expansion of the chemical literature; Growth in the number of abstracted chemistry-related journal articles.

Focuses on the issues related to the increasing sales of generics in the U.S. Total expenditures on drug prescriptions for the year 2000; Patent protection for drugs; Global market of generics for the year 2001.

Reports on the decline in the output of chemical literature as measured by patents and abstracts in the year 2000. Fluctuation in the number of chemistry-related abstracts in the past seven years; Drop in the total number of assigned patents; Biotechnology subset of chemical patents.

Forecasts the increase of patents issued in the United States for year 2001. Trend for patent approval in the country for the past two years; Value of the intellectual properties of chemical companies; Rewards of licensing technologies.

Interviews United States Patent & Trademark Office chief executive, Q. Todd Dickinson. Outline of the state of patent operations in the country; Concerns over the process involved in issuing patents; Standards set by the office before approving patents.

The article focuses on the divided stands of lawmakers on patent-related lawsuits and issues in the U.S. Topics discussed include the lobbying campaign and major technology for patent trolls legislation, the measures on curbing abusive practices in the pharmaceutical industry, and the issue on strong intellectual property protections.

Presents statistics on the amount of chemical research and development in patents and literature in the United States in 1993. Total number of US chemical patents assigned in 1993; Countries and the number of chemical patents issued; Patent activity of US companies; Patent activity of US government; Origin of chemical literature; Abstracts of papers in chemical abstracts.

Interviews Commissioner of Patents & Trademarks Bruce A. Lehman on his ideas about the patent system and his plans during his tenure at the Patent & Trademark Office. Accomplishments of the Patent & Trademark Office; Issue of quality patents; Comparison between the United States patent office and the European patent office; Quality of the examination process; Creation of a better patent system; More.

The article focuses on the growth of the number of chemistry patents and research publication in China. It cites the reports of Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) that China became the world's leader in terms of chemistry patents published yearly and of Thomson Reuters that its growth in scholarly papers outpaces that of other nations. According to Sunny Wang, the growth is driven by the economic development and awareness on the importance of intellectual property protection.

Reports on the growing Western demand for Indian drug ingredients and research services. Implications of India's admission to the World Trade Organization; Requirement for India to recognize patents on drugs discovered abroad starting in 2005; Manifestation of the global appeal of Indian pharmaceutical companies in their financial results in 2004; Business models; India's reputation as supplier of active pharmaceutical ingredients. INSET: Clinical Trials: The Next Big Thing?.

Reports on the trend whereby companies with extensive technology portfolios donate shelved patents to nonprofit organizations and gain significant tax write-offs. Concern of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and some members of Congress that the donations are used by companies as a tax avoidance scheme; Determination of the worth of patents.

Discusses the benefits of patents for chemical industries in the U.S. Increase in income; Royalty rates; Use of the patents to protect leadership in the market; Commercialization partnerships.

Reports on the lawsuit filed by professor John M.J. Madey against Duke University over the use of patented technology Mark III free electron laser. Classification of philosophical inquiry; Use of laser for medical and materials science research; Emphasis on the academic mission of Duke University. INSET: Supreme Court Keeps States From Being Sued Over Patents..

Assesses the decrease in the cost of filing for a patent in the European Union countries. Establishment of the Community Patent system Involvement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the patent system; Concept of Community Patent.

Discusses how science-based companies are donating their surplus intellectual capital to universities and other nonprofit institutions. Use of patent donations as potential revenue sources; Examples of how universities and institutes have benefited from corporate patent donations.

Focuses on physical chemist Rangaswamy Srinivasan's battle for proper credit. Pitfalls of scientific collaboration; Legal challenges to inventorship of ophthalmologist Stephen Trokel's patents; Description of a phenomenon known as ablative photodecomposition; Use of excimer lasers to treat visual disorders; Visx's settlement of a lawsuit with former United States Air Force physicist John Taboada.

Provides information on the problems associated with preparing and protecting patents within the chemical engineering industry. Factors likely to prompt the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to reject a patent; Advice offered to chemists on how to avoid such problems and how to prepare a functional and defensive patent application; Challenges faced by the patent on AZT treatment for the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Reports that a patent has been awarded for a cyclization reaction that yields 92 percent of enediyne compounds compared with 2.5 percent in the frequently used reaction. Inventors of the cyclization process; Use of enediyne compounds in the development of anti-cancer drugs and other therapeutics; Possibilities in the large-scale synthesis of enediyne compounds. INSET: Complexation can control linear enediyne cyclization..

Information about Philip Streich's contribution to science is presented. The 17-year old homeschooler, who is taking advanced graduate courses in science at the University of Wisconsin, Platteville, is a cofounder of a small start-up company, and has six patents pending. Information about his scientific research is also presented.

The Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) will provide Internet access to 2 mil patents dating from 1976 and the text and images of 800,000 trademarks recorded from the late 1800s to the present. Also included are 300,000 pending registrations. Patent images corresponding with the electronic text will be on the web by March 1999. PTO's patent and trademark database were among the most in demand among government databases yet to become available to the public.

The article reports on patent roadblocks that affect start-ups in the chemical industry. It is noted that Materia, a start-up that has a license to the olefin catalysis patents of Robert H. Grubbs, is involved in a patent infringement case with Evonik Industries, a chemical company in Germany. The case focuses on ruthenium-based olefin metasthesis catalysts.

The article presents information on the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (AIA) that has become a hallmark standard for first-inventor-to-file corresponding to the patent filing. It informs that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) now follow the legislation defined under AIA to award the patent to the first inventor who files an application on the technology. It further informs about the key changes made to the U.S. patent system that will came into effect from March 16, 2013.

The article discusses the declining sales and earnings of several pharmaceutical firms due to patent losses. It informs that company sales of Sanofi SA were increased by 3.3 percent and was benefited by the diabetes area and the Genzyme biopharmaceuticals unit of its growth market which makes up to 70 percent of its sales. Also presented is a table related to the sales of firms.

This article discusses the decline in the sales and earnings of major pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2012. The journal's survey of the top 50 chemical companies in the country in 2011 revealed the 0.7% sales decline posted by 11 major drug producers. Companies that posted sales and earnings declines are Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly & Co. The companies are experiencing patent losses on top-selling products.

The article focuses on the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama on September 16, 2011 at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. The bill, which was passed with strong bipartisan votes, would change a patent system that was still based on the Patent Act of 1952. Obama said the new law will also boost U.S. businesses by giving funding to the Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) to ease application backlog.

The article reports on the possible collaboration between the White House and Capitol Hill Republicans to tackle the issue of intellectual property. Republican Representative Lamar S. Smith of Texas says the country's patent system need to be improved to better protect intellectual property and ensure that good patents are approved. He also announced his plan to revive a tech-related subcommittee that will deal with copyright, patent, trademark and information technology issues,

The article provides information on the Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry (WBI) located in a technology park north of Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 2007, the research institute aims to work with industry partners to redefine how the technical challenges of developing safer chemical products and greener production processes are addressed by scientists. According to organic chemist and WBI leader John C. Warner, the institute has already filed for some 140 patents for itself and for its clients.

The article discusses issues surrounding patent settlements in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. While the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama calling for Congress to pass legislation accelerating the market entry of generic alternatives, companies argue that this may lead to further costs as large firm settle patent disputes by paying generic drug manufacturers to delay their launch of cheaper drugs. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Jonathan D. Leibowitz said that these delays could cost at least 3 to 5 billion U.S. dollars annually.

The article deals with the pharmaceutical patent system implemented in India. The country's Patent Office grants patents for major innovations in drugs, but not for derivatives, new applications, combinations, or new formulas. According to Eric Noehrenberg, head of Noehrenberg International Policy Consultancy, the country is following the recommendations of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and is establishing a strict definition of innovation. Novartis aims to change the patent law of India.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Gene Patents Rules Invalid," by Glenn Hess and Lisa Jarvis in the April 5, 2010 issue.

The article discusses issues concerning the dispute over patent application process involving the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) and the pharmaceutical sector. The federal court has decided to dismiss PTO's rules to streamline the patent application process and reduce the backlog of filings. The decision is claimed to support innovations throughout all industries.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article about patent case of Monsanto in the January 14, 2008 issue.

The article reports on the lawsuit filed by pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia concerning the move of the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) to overhaul its rules for patent applications. According to GSK, the PTO's proposal would have a considerable impact on drug and biopharmaceutical companies. Other companies in the biotechnology industry supported GSK's lawsuit including the Hsi.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article regarding the patent reform legislation, published on the September 17, 2007 issue.

The article discusses a study conducted by researchers from the United States, which isolated and characterized a long-sought second form of acetylsalicylic acid known in most households as aspirin. The crystal form and molecules of aspirin were investigated. The researchers filed an international patent application for the putative new form of aspirin in April 2006.

The article reports on the lack of buyers of chemical patents at the 2006 intellectual property auction conducted by intellectual capital merchant bank Ocean Tomo in New York City in October 2006. Chemical firms such as Eastman Chemical and Dow Chemical offered patents in separate lots. It was observed that intellectual property that sold well in the auction were those that do not require regulatory burdens as chemical-related patents.

The article highlights the live public auction of patents in San Francisco, California, organized by Ocean Tomo LLC. About twenty six lots have been sold out of seventy eight lots which consist of more than 400 patents.. The patents being sold are water shrinkable films, enzyme-based laundry soil and stain removers. Patents originally held by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. and Clorox Co. are also included in the sale.

The article reports that the policy community was startled by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's announcement that some makers of generic drugs are once again being paid to drop patent challenges to brand-name drugs. Exclusionary payments are slowing down the introduction of generic drugs in the U.S. market.

Presents a letter to the editor of the periodical "Chemical and Engineering News," concerning a patent for an electrospray manufactured by John B. Fenn's laboratory.