Patents - universities feel the pain

This paper discusses the recent case of the University of Rochester vs. Searle that was presented at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The case involved the patency of a new class of blockbuster drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors, sold under such trademarks as Celebrex®, and Vioxx® which are used to lessen the pain of osteoarthritis and other inflammatory diseases. These drugs were known to work by inhibiting the ability of certain enzymes (cyclooxygenases) to produce a certain molecule (prostaglandin H₂).