US challenge to AZT patent

Article Abstract:

If the US government and two Canadian companies have their way, Burroughs Wellcome, a British pharmaceutical company, will not retain the patent for AZT (zidovudine). The drug, currently the only one licensed for treating AIDS, cost the typical AIDS patient $10,000 per year when it was first marketed three years ago. Even though the price has been reduced by two thirds, AZT is still expensive, and the government usually pays for it when the patients' funds are exhausted. Burroughs refuses to reveal the manufacturing costs of AZT, but US scientists have a new approach: they claim that the drug was actually developed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) more than 20 years ago. They contend that Burroughs did no more than test and select AZT from a group of potentially effective agents, after NCI gave the company its supply of thymidine (from herring sperm), necessary for manufacturing the drug. Legal groups are challenging the patent, and two Canadian companies also contest it. Representatives of one company, Apotex, believe they will win; the drug is already being shipped to countries where Burroughs does not own the patent at two thirds of the Burroughs price. Congressional objections to the high price of AZT, and the correspondingly large share of public monies that go to buy it, have been raised by Ted Weiss, head of the House of Representatives human resources investigative subcommittee. His goal is to encourage the federal government to take a stand on the issue. Although lowering the price of AZT will clearly benefit AIDS patients, scaring pharmaceutical companies away from AIDS-related research will only harm them in the long run. In cases such as these, issues concerning the regulation of profit are not easily resolved. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Cases, Finance, Beliefs, opinions and attitudes, Intellectual property, Patents, Zidovudine, Burroughs Wellcome Co., Weiss, Ted

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Job prospects are better than ever (but were never as bad as made out)

Article Abstract:

The success of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) both in recruiting young scientists and in retaining their senior colleagues has belied warnings of a 'brain drain' of scientists leaving governmental employment. On the contrary, such factors as innovative research programs and exemption from salary ceilings have helped to boost the NIH's retention of experienced scientists. Moreover, the NIH's ability to recruit top-notch postdoctoral researchers can be attributed to several factors including increased laboratory space, less complex consulting rules and earlier tenure tracks.

Human resource management, Recruiting, United States. National Institutes of Health, Scientists in government, Government scientists

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NSF pays price for success

Article Abstract:

The National Science Foundation's (NSF) awarding of contacts for its growing computer network initiative, NSFNet, has stimulated controversy. NSF gave the contract to Merit Inc, a non-profit consortium of Michigan universities whose subcontractors are MCI Communications Corp and IBM, prompting US Sprint and other competitors to complain of unfairness. The NSFNet contract became more valuable after President Bush approved plans for developing a National Research and Education Network from NSFNet and proposed to increase NSF's networking funding.

Electronic computers, Prepackaged software, Telephone communications, exc. radio, Computer networks, International Business Machines Corp., IBM, Telecommunications systems, Contracts, United States. National Science Foundation, MCI Communications Corp., MCIC, Merit Inc., NSFnet (Computer network)

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