Abstract
Merck & Co. has decided to throw a monkey wrench into plans by entrepreneurs backed by large drug firms that are Merck competitors to lock up human genome data through patents and proprietary licenses. Merck, which is based in Whitehouse Station, N.J., plans to fund establishment of a cDNA library as a publicly available resource, provide funds to generate what are known as sequence tags from each of the clones in the library, and distribute the information to public databases. A number of companies, notably Human Genome Sciences (HGS), Rockville, Md., have mounted efforts to generate such cDNA libraries. HGS, in particular, has worked to generate sequence tags— which are relatively short lengths of DNA that unequivocally identify a gene—with the aim of patenting such tags or keeping them proprietary. In 1993, Smith Kline Beecham struck a $125 million deal with HGS that gives the drug company rights to potentially useful genes discovered bv HGS. ...
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
