[ad_1]
Waagacusub.net – Across the globe, scientists are camping out in labs to find solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sometime in 2020, Dr. Patrick Engeu Ogwang, Associate Professor of Pharmacy at Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Uganda, and a team of other researchers under PHARMABIOTRAC developed an herbal biomedical invention called Covidex. The innovation is said to be a broad-spectrum natural remedy designed to control and treat the Covid-19 coronavirus.
The late-stage information of the study was leaked to the Ugandan market and is currently circulating in different pharmacies.
Unfortunately, the National Drug Administration (NDA) and MUST have issued a press release requesting the withdrawal of the leaked product from the market. They have also informed the public that Covidex has not received the necessary approvals as a Covid-19 treatment, and therefore, all generic drug manufacturers and suppliers should seek further guidance from the National Drug Administration (NDA).
In principle, under Section 19(1) of Uganda’s Industrial Property Act 2014, there is a legal presumption that any invention developed in the performance of an assignment or during the term of an employment contract belongs to the principal or employer respectively. Therefore, UUST’s claim to own Covidex’s IP rights in its 14 June press release is justified. Who owns a university’s IP rights depends on the institution’s IP policy.
However, given the particular importance of the invention during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Ogwang has a right to fair remuneration for the invention and to be listed as an inventor, provided those rights are not waived.
The drug development process is not only complex but also costly. Companies and institutions often adopt BroadCast Unitedlectual property management strategies to recover the costs of the development process and hope to gain more profits. After conducting the necessary clinical trials and obtaining approval from the National Drug Administration, patents for the process and finished product can be sought.
It is recommended to apply for patents during the early stages of development of the first effective molecule and at each incremental stage of innovation.
Patent protection is territorial, meaning that if a person files for a patent in Uganda, they can only obtain protection against infringement in Uganda. However, the World Intellectual Property Organization also manages an international patent application system that provides protection in the applicant’s target countries. During the patent’s life, the right holder must strategically manage the patent to maximize its utility as a tool to attract investment and mobilize resources.
Patented AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine generated $275 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2021. I know what you are thinking, how much money can you make from patented herbs, natural plants or traditional medicines?
I think if the drug had high efficacy and less or no side effects than the drugs in the market, its sales forecast would be higher. One of the indicators of a country’s innovation activity is the number of patents or utility models filed with the country’s BroadCast Unitedlectual property office. The number of patents filed with the Uganda Registration Services Office has declined.
In 2020, the World Health Organization pledged to provide technical and financial support to African traditional and alternative medicine innovators to develop potential treatments for COVID-19, and worked with some African countries, including Congo, to develop COVID-19 treatments using a medicinal plant called Artemisia annua.
Therefore, the solution to boosting innovation in Africa lies in government support, the use of BroadCast Unitedlectual property rights and institutional collaboration, namely Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) between governments, private biomedical or pharmaceutical companies, international organizations, traditional institutions and universities or technical colleges.
Expand the role of universities to promote innovation and invention, especially in the environmental and life sciences, and create new knowledge to support innovators like Dr. Ogwang and his team. I commend the collaborative support provided by African countries to understand the norms that support local innovation and encourage international patenting of local innovations in any particular institution.
By Omar Hilowle
[ad_2]
Source link
