The new US America Invents Act makes several changes to the US patent system that are designed to limit legal battles. The Act will forgo the “first to invent” approach in favor of “first to file,” which is similar to other countries’ systems. Some critics believe that this approach could lead to firms scrambling to […]

A US National Academy of Sciences report suggesting ways for universities to avoid budget cuts should be released by year end. According to Nature, which spoke with some members of the panel preparing the report, researchers may be urged to scrimp by sharing equipment, facilities and management duties with each other and with other research […]

The US Congress will likely approve a new deal for the inspection of overseas drug manufacturing plants, many of which are not routinely FDA inspected. The generic drug industry’s reluctance to pay inspection fees has changed, partly due to the Heparin scandal and the hesitancy of Congress to designate money for inspections. Mylan President Heather […]

The outlook for the global solar industry has dimmed from last year. The industry is projected to grow relatively little this year. The slump is due to lower government subsidies and excessive capacity expansion over the past six months. Spot market prices of solar cells and wafers have declined 40% since January and in many […]

A global survey of 282 senior executives at pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device and service firms found dissatisfaction with their companies’ level of innovation. Their companies’ R&D strategy was rated “moderately effective” by 49% of respondents. Cost was ranked by 47% as their firms’ biggest challenge (respondents ranked their top three challenges) to improving innovation, followed […]