Supreme Court throws out Prometheus patent in blood test dispute

[alp227]

Source: AP

The Supreme Court has tossed out a medical patent for Prometheus Laboratories, a decision that could affect the burgeoning field of personalized medicine.

The justices on Tuesday unanimously agreed that the patent held by the company — owned by Switzerland-based Nestle — was invalid.

The patent covers a blood test that helps doctors determine the proper dosage for a drug, thiopurine, to treat autoimmune illnesses. The Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic had challenged the patent, which is keeping them from marketing its own test.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-upholds-prometheus-patent-in-blood-test-dispute/2012/03/20/gIQA5xJQPS_story.html

[groundloop]

1. GOOD NEWS !!! That patent was a joke

Basically it said that if there's not enough medicine in the patients blood increase the dosage, if there's too much medicine in the patients blood decrease the dosage. DUH !!!!! In my current job we've run up against patents where someone is trying to prevent others from developing competing products instead of protecting their own invention, this particular patent takes that concept to the extreme.

[xxqqqzme]

2. Thank you for that explanation.

On a separate level any decision against Nestle is ok in my book. It re-enforces my 40 year personal boycott.

[FirstLight]

3. Aren't patents for medical procedures a hindrance to HEALING?

I would think that like information, medical research and such should be open to all ...because only then can we have more people working on the treatment, rather than ONE company making profit on an illness...

it just doesn't make sense to me. Finding new treatments and healing people should be the focus, not who has a freaking patent on something... no wonder we are so screwed...

[obxhead]

4. That would be how socialized medicine should work.

Unfortunately we decided to lock in place for profit capitalist medicine.

It's not about health, it's about profit.

[groundloop]

5. It seems to me that's a very complicated subject

On the one hand, yes, if there's a treatment available that can save lives or cure illness it should be readily available to the masses at a reasonable cost. On the other hand, if someone develops a new procedure/device/medicine they deserve to be rewarded for their work.

I don't know what the answer is. But I agree with you that it seems like there's too much focus on purely maximizing profit at the expense of helping people.