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MoFo Life Sciences shares timely legal and business insights and in-depth analyses on trends and the complex technologies at the heart of the global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, diagnostics, medical devices, digital health, and AgTech fields.

July 25, 2020 - United States, COVID-19, Intellectual Property
Bill Proposes 10 Additional Years for COVID-19 Inventions
A proposed bill offers a potential boon to patent owners. If passed, the “Facilitating Innovation to Fight Coronavirus Act” will add ten years to the patent term of eligible inventions. However, the bill will temporarily curtail patent owner enforcement rights. Passage is not certain,
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July 22, 2020 - Biotech, Pharma, Regulatory, Asia
China to Criminalize Human Genetic Resources Violations
On June 28, 2020, the draft 11 th amendment to China’s Criminal Law (the “Draft”) was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for review. The Draft added a number of crimes intended to “connect” with certain provisions in China’s Human
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July 13, 2020 - United States, Litigation, Intellectual Property
Should Cos. Use USPTO's New Fast-Track Appeals Program?
By: Anita Choi and Michael Ward Ph.D.
Joe Adamczyk, Anita Choi, and Michael Ward authored an article for Law360 covering the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) decision to begin accepting petitions for the fast-track appeals pilot program, a new program aimed at shaving off time during ex parte appeal. “Appeals
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July 10, 2020 - Biotech, Pharma, Regulatory, Asia
China’s Biosecurity Law will cover Human Genetic Resources
During its April 2020 meetings, the Standing Committee of China’s National People’s Congress reviewed a number of draft legislations, among which was a draft Biosecurity Law. At the conclusion of the meetings, the second draft of the Biosecurity Law (the “Draft”) was published for
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July 08, 2020 - United States, FDA, COVID-19
FDA Establishes Clear Requirements for COVID-19 Vaccine
By: Matt Karlyn
On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its much anticipated guidance on the licensure of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccines. According to the New York Times , there are currently over 145 COVID-19 vaccines in development across the globe with 20 in
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June 29, 2020 - United States, COVID-19, Intellectual Property
Expedited Trademark Applications for COVID-19-Related Goods and Services
By: Joyce Liou
Recognizing the need for companies to quickly get products to market that might help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States Patent & Trademark Office is now paving the way for shorter examination timelines for qualifying trademark applications. This could prove especially useful in
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June 08, 2020 - FDA, COVID-19, Product Liability + Class Action
How FDA Is Monitoring the COVID-19 Product Market
By: Erin M. Bosman and Julie Y. Park
FDA is actively “monitor[ing] the online ecosystem for fraudulent products peddled by bad actors seeking to profit from this global pandemic.” The agency says it has discovered hundreds of fraudulent COVID-19 products, including drugs, test kits, and PPE sold online with unproven claims. It is working
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June 02, 2020 - United States, Healthcare, Privacy + Data Security
FTC Seeks Comments on Health Breach Notification Rule
By: Melissa M. Crespo
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced a review and open comment period for the Health Breach Notification Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 318 (the “Rule”), which requires vendors of personal health records (PHR) and related entities that aren’t covered by HIPAA to provide notice
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May 26, 2020 - United States, FDA, Medical Devices + Diagnostics, COVID-19, Product Liability + Class Action, Healthcare
FDA Signals Flexibility with COVID-19 Tests
By: Erin M. Bosman and Julie Y. Park
A bipartisan group of experts in economics, health, technology, and ethics recommended that the U.S. scale up COVID-19 testing—5 million per day by June, 20 million per day by midsummer—in order to fully re-mobilize the economy. Consistent with this, FDA has taken various steps
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May 22, 2020 - COVID-19, CFIUS, Healthcare, Asia
Japan Moves to Tighten Restrictions on Foreign Investment in Healthcare Industries
By: Gary Mitchel Smith
Amid concerns about predatory acquisitions of weakened companies and strategic assets during the COVID‑19 crisis, more and more countries are restricting foreign direct investment (FDI) in their domestic companies, especially in the medical and healthcare industries. These restrictions tend to target Chinese investment in
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