KEI and UACT Comments Regarding NIH Exclusive License on GPC3-Expressing Cancer Treatment

On Tuesday November 12, 2019, KEI and the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment (UACT) filed comments on the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) “Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License: The Development of an Anti-GPC3 Radionuclide Immunoconjugate for the Treatment… Continue Reading

KEI Comments to the NIH on Exclusive License to Opsis Therapeutics for Retinal Cell Therapies

On October 18, 2019, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) submitted comments to the Federal Register Notice for the “Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License: Compositions, Devices and Processes for Production and Delivery of Cell Grafts of Manufactured Retinal Pigment Epithelium… Continue Reading

KEI and UACT Comments to NIH on License to T-Cell Therapy for Cancer to Ziopharm Oncology

(Update: The NIH provided a response to our comments on November 15, 2019) On Friday October 18, 2019, Knowledge Ecology International and the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment (UACT) submitted comments on the “Prospective Grant of an Exclusive Patent License:… Continue Reading

KEI and UACT Comments to NIH on License in AAV Vectors to Generation Bio and Spark Therapeutics

On Friday October 11, 2019, Knowledge Ecology International and the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment (UACT) submitted comments to the Federal Register notice (84 FR 51171) for the “Prospective Grant of Exclusive Patent License: Capsid-Free AAV Vectors, Compositions, and Methods… Continue Reading

Joint Comments by KEI, UACT, Social Security Watch and Health Gap on the proposed NIH Exclusive License in CAR Therapy to Lyell Immunopharma (and NIH Response)

(UPDATE: As noted in the comments below, the NIH provided a response to the joint comments submitted on September 5, 2019, well in advance of the close of the comment period on September 15, 2019) On September 19, 2019, Knowledge… Continue Reading

Joint Comments Regarding NIH Proposed Exclusive License to Intima Biosciences for Cancer Therapy (and NIH Response)

(UPDATE: The NIH provided a response to our comments on September 26, 2019) On September 13, 2019, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment (UACT), Public Citizen (PC), Social Security Works (SSW), LWC Health, Ruth Lopert, Manon Ress,… Continue Reading

KEI Request Re: Failure to Disclose Federal Funding in UPenn Bennett et al Patents for Gene Therapy to Treat Blindness

On September 9, 2019, KEI submitted a second request to the NIH that it investigate an apparent failure to disclose federal funding in patents in adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapies assigned to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).… Continue Reading

KEI, UACT, UAEM, and SSW Appeal NIH Grant of Exclusive Licenses on CAR Cancer Therapy to Gilead/Kite

On September 12, 2019, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI), Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment (UACT), Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), Social Security Works (SSW), and Clare Love filed an appeal with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The signatories appealed… Continue Reading

Zolgensma

Zolgensma is a gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) that was approved by the US FDA in May 2019, at a price of $2.1 million per patient. Zolgensma was licensed from a children’s hospital where it was developed on… Continue Reading

International Reference Pricing

KEI Briefing Note 2019:1  International Reference Pricing August 22, 2019 International Reference Pricing, often referred to as External Reference Pricing (ERP), is the practice of using a price in a foreign market as a benchmark for an acceptable price in… Continue Reading