The amount of nanotechnology patent literature has grown exponentially since the early 2000s. In 2013, it increased by 5%. By country, 54% of patent literature assignees were from the US, followed by 8% from South Korea, 8% from Japan and 6% from Germany. By region, approximately 57% were from North America, 28% from Eastern Asia […]

As required by 2012’s Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, the FDA has submitted to Congress a report on premarket notification of changes to 510(k) devices. The agency will largely maintain the present guidance and policy framework and will publish a draft of its revisions for review. The agency will clarify terms in […]

The FDA will create the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality to better control quality of branded, generic and over-the-counter drugs in the US. The agency and the pharmaceutical industry are determining which of the data currently acquired from inspections can be collected on an ongoing basis to identify drug plants departing from established standards and needing […]

In 2013, the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research approved 25 small molecular drugs and 2 biologic drugs, compared to 33 and 6, respectively, in 2012. Nine orphan new medical entities (NMEs) were approved, as were 8 cancer drugs, of which 6 were orphan NMEs. In addition, companion diagnostics information was provided for 3 […]

The passage this month of the Agricultural Act of 2014, or Farm Bill, provides $512 million for scientific research over five years. Funding each year will be 3.8% less than the previous Farm Bill. However, the legislation provides mandatory funding, which will not require approval by Congress each year. The Bill increases funding for organic […]