On September 27, 2021, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted the following comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding the “Prospective Grant of Exclusive Patent License: Chimeric Live-Attenuated Vaccine for West Nile Virus (WNV)” (86 FR 50722). The technology is to be licensed to Blue Water Vaccines.
A PDF of KEI’s comments is available here: KEI-Comments-NIH-License-Blue-Water-Vaccine-27Sept2021
Knowledge Ecology International
1621 Connecticut Ave NW
Washington, DC 20009
www.keionline.org
September 27, 2021
Peter Soukas
Technology Transfer and Patent Specialist
Technology Transfer and Intellectual Property Office
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health
Re: Exclusive Patent License: Chimeric Live-Attenuated Vaccine for West Nile Virus (WNV) to Blue Water Vaccines, Inc. (86 FR 50722)
Blue Water Vaccines is a small company with a thin track record. We have two requests for this license.
1. The company should agree to not charge US residents more than the price in other high income countries, defined as countries with per capita income at least 50 percent of the per capita income in the United States.
2. The company should be willing to make public the costs of clinical trials associated with the license, together with information on public sector subsidies, if any. This information is useful in understanding the incentives necessary to induce private investments in vaccine development. It costs the company nothing to provide it and make it public, and it’s not as if they won’t sign the contract if this is a requirement.
James Love. Knowledge Ecology International
U.S. Mobile +1.202.361.3040
https://www.keionline.org