BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

University of Sussex other research news

April 8, 1996 7:00 AM UTC

A commentary in Nature discussed results of a comprehensive analysis of patented human DNA sequences. The data show that between 1981 and 1995, 1,175 patents for human DNA sequences were granted worldwide. Ownership is overwhelmingly dominated by the private sector, with three-quarters of the patents issued to industry. Most of the 213 companies involved are Japanese or American, with nearly half of the privately held patents owned by Japanese companies, and the rest divided equally between companies from the U.S. and the rest of the world. Only 17 percent of patents have been granted to public institutions, mostly in the U.S.

Takeda holds the most patents, at 63, followed by Genentech (GNE - 41), Immunex (IMNX) and Teijin (23 each), and Hoffmann-La Roche (18). ...