More than 20,000 people are expected to attend BIO 2007, the world's largest biotech conference.
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Stephen Heuser, a reporter for the Globe, covers biotechnology, medical devices, and the life-science industry.
Christopher Rowland , Globe reporter, covers the healthcare economy, including doctors and hospitals, insurance, and research.
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« Not always a passing phase | Main | Video screens have legs » Tuesday, May 8, 2007Biotech will keep patent lawyers busyA survey out today suggests that 2007 will be an "active" year for the patent license agreements popular with biotech firms. "As a service to the life sciences industry," Boston law firm Foley Hoag LLP said it surveyed biotechnology companies, universities, and other research institutions to identify trends and gauge the market for specific terms in license agreements. The firm said it issued preliminary results of its survey today at the BIO International Convention now underway in Boston. "Many biotechnology companies, especially start-ups, enter into license negotiations with universities and other research institutions and do not know what to expect," Jeffrey L. Quillen, a partner in the life sciences practice at Foley Hoag, said in a statement. "There is very little public data regarding terms from comparable deals. As long-time counselors to the biotechnology community, we wanted to fill that information gap and balance the playing field." According to Foley Hoag, survey respondents expect to enter into more patent license agreements this year than they did in 2006 or 2005, and 61 percent of the license agreements examined in the survey related to products in the earliest stages of clinical development. Posted by Boston Globe Business Team at 01:36 PM
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