As we’re anxiously awaiting effective treatments for COVID-19, it’s a good time to give thanks for the Bayh-Dole Act, an important law that helps science become useful products and cures.
Refresh me on the Bayh-Dole Act. In a nutshell, the bipartisan 1980 legislation:
- Empowers universities, small businesses, and non-profit institutions to take ownership of inventions made during federally funded research, so they can license these basic inventions for further applied R&D and broader public use.
- Encourages the private-sector investment needed to turn basic government-funded biomedical research into tested and approved products, requires these products to be manufactured domestically, and ensures royalties for universities to further advance basic research and education.
What does it have to do with COVID-19? A lot, actually, as many drug manufacturing companies are pouring millions and billions of dollars into turning basic science from federally funded research into potential coronavirus vaccines, treatments, and diagnostics.
To discuss the critical role of public-private partnerships in the COVID-19 battle, on Thursday April 23, the Bayh-Dole 40 Coalition and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will host a free webinar on how partnerships between industry, academia, and federal labs work and why the legislation is so important, especially right now. Click here to register and join this important discussion.
What they’re saying: “The eyes of the world have anxiously turned to the United States of America looking for salvation as the coronavirus ravages the globe. We are the undisputed leaders in developing critically needed new medicines because our patent system promotes innovation while the Bayh-Dole Act ensures we can seamlessly form public/private partnerships. As a result, our best minds are working diligently to save us.” – Joseph Allen, Founder and Executive Director of Bayh-Dole 40
More reading:
- Morning Consult: How the Bayh-Dole Act facilitates development of coronavirus therapies
- IP Watchdog: Everything depends on coronavirus R&D partnerships—don’t let the critics wreck them
- MassLive: Thank obscure law, Bayh-Dole Act, for potential coronavirus vaccine
More Health Care News:
STAT: NIH Director Francis Collins on Tony Fauci, the WHO, and running a $39 billion research agency from home
The New York Times: Coronavirus is forcing medical research to speed up
“What typically takes many months is happening in weeks, even as some journals are receiving double their normal number of submissions.”
