Patents, medicine, and the interests of patients: applying general principles to gene patenting.
New technologies and the translation of research into clinical medicine are essential to patient care. Those who develop useful drugs, diagnostic and screening tests, and medical technologies have the right to expect a fair return for their efforts and risks. Current interpretations of patent law (particularly regarding gene patenting), however, have the potential to impede both medical advances and patient care. Patenting policies must balance the open exchange and use of information with making the pursuit of such knowledge financially rewarding. The Committee on Ethics and the Committee on Genetics of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintain that patents on medical or surgical procedures are ethically unacceptable. Physicians may obtain patents on surgical and diagnostic instruments that they have developed, but such instruments should be made available to others at a fair and reasonable cost. Patents for genes as "compositions of matter" enable patent holders to control future applications of the genes and should not be granted. Patents should be granted only for specified uses or applications of genes or sequences. If composition-of-matter patents on genes continue to be enforceable, such patents on genes with clinical applications should be subject to federal regulation and oversight to ensure availability on reasonable terms for research and clinical use.
D004992:Ethics, Medical; D005823:Genetics / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D010330:Patents as Topic; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000941:ethics*