Professor Richard Gold leads expert team on ground-breaking gene patent case
Law professor Richard Gold is leading a group of internationally recognized experts on gene patenting and its impact on the delivery of medical care, in connection with legal action launched by the Children鈥檚 Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
CHEO is challenging U.S. patent holders of a gene related to a rare heart disorder and this legal action, a first in Canada, seeks to ensure that Canadian hospitals and laboratories can offer cutting-edge health care to their patients. The case aims to clear up whether Canadian patent law prevents hospitals and laboratories from offering genetic tests to patients.
Gold and his team will offer their expert assistance to the court in understanding both the genetics and policy questions involved in this case.
鈥淭here is a big question mark hanging over the validity of these patents,鈥� said Gold. 鈥淭he Supreme Court of the United States ruled these types of patents invalid last year. Similar arguments will be presented to Australia鈥檚 highest court. It is time to restore certainty in Canada for the benefit of patients and innovators.鈥�
CBC News:
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