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Search for Cutting Edge Biotech Area
Now, San Francisco is positioning itself to become the home of a new $300 million federal research facility that will explore how to harness the tiny creatures to create cutting-edge, clean technology. City officials said the National Biological Foundry would be a major addition to the emerging biotechnology and stem cell research hub The City is creating at Mission Bay, which includes the state’s stem cell research headquarters and a handful of biotech companies. The U.S. Department of Energy would run the new facility and plans to award it later this summer after a national search, but it appears the Bay Area could be a strong contender.

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IP Victory in China
After an almost two year legal battle in the Shanghai, Starbucks was granted 500,000 RMB for the infringement of its trademark by a Chinese company. The Chinese company has appealed the ruling. The decision is a victory for foreign intellectual property in China.

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Hormonal Contraceptives and Infertility Drugs Report
Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c30827) has announced the addition of Spectra Intelligence Report "The Global Market for Hormonal Contraceptives and Infertility Drugs, 2005-2012" to their offering. The highlights:
 - The current market for the hormonal contraceptives and infertility drugs is valued at US$7.1 billion, which is forecast to increase 40% to US$9.9 billion by 2012
- Critical analysis of marketed hormonal contraceptives, reformulations, and infertility drugs
- Analysis of over 10 key marketed products and inclusion of 38 R&D candidates identified in preclinical to clinical stages of development
- Sales estimates (US$) to 2012 for leading products
- Strategic insights for life-cycle optimization and product development
- Commercial evaluation of leading reproductive health pharmacotherapies
- Trend analysis of industry events and activities over past 2 years
- Detailed R&D themes and clusters by therapy area
- Data generation on sector and market values between 2004 and 2012 and therapy area forecasts by 2020 (US$)
- High revenue-yielding prospects identified with projected sales estimations
- R&D pipeline positioning for novel candidates
- Market insights for product development and drug promotion

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Blackberry
RIM has paid NTP $612.5 million in full and final settlement of all claims against RIM, as well as for a perpetual, fully-paid up license going forward. This amount includes money already escrowed by RIM to date. The licensing and settlement agreement relates to all patents owned and controlled by NTP and covers all of RIM's products, services and technologies. NTP grants RIM an unfettered right to continue its business, including its BlackBerry® related business. The resolution permits RIM and its partners to sell RIM products and services completely free and clear of any claim by NTP, including any claims that NTP may have against wireless carriers, channel partners, suppliers or customers in relation to RIM products or services, (including BlackBerry Connect and Built-In technology), or in relation to third party products and services, to the extent they are used in connection with RIM products and services.

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Erbitux
Federal regulators approved Erbitux as the first new drug to treat head and neck cancer since the 1950s. The Food and Drug Administration initially approved the drug in 2004 to treat colorectal cancer. The drug may now be used in combination with radiation to treat patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck that cannot be removed by surgery.  It was also approved for use by itself to treat patients whose cancer has spread despite treatment with standard chemotherapy.
Erbitux is made by ImClone Systems Inc. and distributed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., both of which are based in New York.

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Mittal Steel, a British Company
Mittal Steel, the world's largest British company, is headed by Lakshmi Mittal, one of the UK's richest men with an estimated fortune of more than £15bn. Mr Mittal has hit the headlines in the past for making large donations to the Labour Party in the United Kingdom.  He gave £2m to Labour in July, one of its single largest-ever donations, following its third successive election victory.  Mittal Steel, which has headquarters in London and Rotterdam, was created in 2004 by the merger of three leading operators. It has expanded rapidly since then, buying Ukraine's largest steel mill last year for £2.7bn and investing heavily in India. It now operates in 14 countries. However, the deal would faces stiff resistance and scrutiny from the European Commission and other competition authorities.  One of the reasons for resistance is that many believe that Mittal Steel is an Indian company because Mr. Mittal is a person of Indian origin, including many in mass media in the United States (e.g., ABC, News Week, to name a few), despite that it is a British based company.  " …the tycoon from India -- and U.S. manufacturers may have one more problem to worry about," reports News Week (11/2004) and calls Mittal a new Goliath, despite the fact Mittal Steel is a UK and netherlands company. And Mr. Mittal is a British citizen from UK (Sunday Herald, Julia Fields, Senior Business Writer, 19 February 2006). "Mr Mittal is not a British citizen but he lives in London and is a registered voter… Mr Blair's official spokesman said the prime minister was not embarrassed to promote British business overseas, as he did in many similar cases." (BBC, Tuesday, 12 February, 2002).  " Mr Blair later told MPs that Mr Mittal's company was British. In fact, LNM Holdings is based in a Caribbean tax haven. It operates almost entirely overseas and competes against British steelmakers that have shed 6,000 jobs in the past year…. Mr Mittal, who lives in a £9 million mansion known as "the Summer Palace" in Hampstead, north London, is Britain's richest person of Indian origin, with a personal fortune estimated at £2.2 billion." (By Joe Murphy, Political Editor, 10/02/2002, News.telegraph)


According to Forbe's Magazine (03.10.05), World's Largest Steel Producers:
Company                Country                      2004 Production*
Mittal                      Netherlands                57
Arcelor                    Luxembourg               42.8
Nippon Steel            Japan                         31.3
JFE                          Japan                        30.2
POSCO                   South Korea              28.9
Shanghai Baosteel     China                       19.9
Corus                      Netherlands U.K.     19.1

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Cervical Optical Device
Cervical cancer is preventable and mostly afflicts women in developing countries.  An optical device that can help identify areas on a woman's cervix that may contain precancerous cells received federal approval recently.  The Luma Cervical Imaging System may help doctors detect lesions not caught by a traditional, high-magnification evaluation of the cervix, called a colposcopy, in women who have recently had an abnormal pap test, the Food and Drug Administration said.  The Luma device is made by MediSpectra Inc. of Lexington, Mass. It is meant to be used with colposcopy. A doctor would still have to perform a biopsy on areas on the cervix highlighted by the two procedures.

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Indian Biotech Boom
India has made investments amounting to Rs. 5000 crore in the field of biotechnology.  About 300 biotech companies in India could provide employment opportunity for about 20,000 students.  While various aspects of biotechnology were growing fast, plant genetic engineering was area that was growing more rapidly and more widely researched.
Reviewing the progress made in deepening the global partnership between the United States and India since their Joint Statement of July 18, 2005, the President and the Prime Minister reaffirm their commitment to expand even further the growing ties between their two countries. Consistent with this objective, the two leaders sought to expand cooperation in agriculture by:
1. Launching the Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture with a three-year financial commitment to link our universities, technical institutions, and businesses to support agriculture education, joint research, and capacity building projects including in the area of biotechnology.
2. Endorsing an agreed workplan to promote bilateral trade in agriculture through agreements that: lay out a path to open the U.S. market to Indian mangoes, recognize India as having the authority to certify that shipments of Indian products to the United States meet USDA organic standards, and provide for discussions on current regulations affecting trade in fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry and dairy, and almonds.
For more details on the Indo-US agreement visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/03/20060302-5.html

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Outsourcing Of Discovery Chemistry Meeting, NJ, July 17-18
The organizers of the premier annual pharmaceutical sourcing/outsourcing conference announced the 10th Anniversary conference & exposition scheduled to take place this summer in New Jersey. The conference focuses on all aspects of the complicated web of pre-clinical and early-stage clinical sourcing/outsourcing from discovery chemistry through intermediates, formulation, and manufacturing finished product, reports Strategic Research Institute. The show is attended by hundreds of buyers from large, medium-sized, and small pharmaceutical companies, as well as a long list of suppliers and exhibitors from around the globe. The meeting has followed the fast-changing industry since the mid-90s and today draws an international speaking faculty and attendee base that reflects the increasing globalization of discovery and development. Since the late 90s, countries outside the United States have been regular conference participants, especially from India, Europe, China, and Taiwan. In 2006, the complexity of continually-evolving relationships continues to define the value of the long-running series. Business models change quickly to keep apace of changes in the market.  Presenters in 2006 include the "Bigs", like Pfizer, Roche, GlaxoSmithKline, J & J, Abbott, AstraZeneca, and Lilly, many medium-sized companies, like Purdue and Exelixis, and many more smaller and virtual companies that rely nearly 100% on outsourcing of their non-core capabilities. The exposition features over 50 custom synthesis, manufacturing, fine chemical, and other suppliers to the industry.

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Patent Rule Changes
On March 30, 2006, the PTO issued a proposed rule change that might change that outcome. According to the proposal, a patent owner will be given an opportunity to reply to the third-party reexamination request prior to the examiner’s decision on the request. Thus, a patent holder may be able to convince the PTO of an absence of a “substantial new question of patentability” and avoid the reexamination proceeding altogether.

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