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34 Biotechnology L. Rep. 1 (2015)

handle is hein.journals/bothnl34 and id is 1 raw text is: Select Developments in Biotechnology Law and the Biotechnology Industry By STEVEN J. ZWEIG PATENT FOR NEW MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY TREATMENT Muscular dystrophy can be a heart-wrenching condition, as it progressively destroys quality of life-and even life itself-through weakening, dam- aging, and even killing muscle tissue. The condition is perhaps best known to U.S. citizens through the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) telethons, which certainly were an annual feature of this writer's childhood television viewing. Recently, Cleveland, Ohio-based Milo Biotech- nology received patent number 8,895,309 for a gene therapy designed to reverse muscular dys- trophy. The therapy has showed promise in early clinical tests involving (at present) three types of muscular dystrophy. The patent is assigned to Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio (where the therapy covered by the patent was devel- oped) and is licensed to Milo Biotechnology. ASTRAZENECA EXPANDS MANUFACTURING IN MARYLAND TO BETTER LINK RESEARCH AND MANUFACTURING British drugmaker AstraZeneca announced that it is expanding its Maryland manufacturing operations by enlarging a production facility at MedImmune, a Maryland-based subsidiary. The $200 million ex- pansion will add 300 workers and will let more of MedImmune's manufacturing be carried out near its research labs. According to MedImmune Chief Operating Officer Matt Bell, proximity between re- Steven J. Zweig is the Managing Editor of Biotechnology Law Report. search and manufacturing facilities is critical for biotechnology companies because the line between R&D and manufacturing is thinner for biotechnol- ogy than for many other industries. The manufactur- ing process is often kept firmly in mind during drug development, for example, and since small changes in production methods can have enormous impacts on the effect of biotechnology products, it's critical to make sure that the production process doesn't change a drug's effectiveness. AstraZeneca's new expansion is not atypical; overall, Maryland has been adding biotechnology manufacturing capacity and jobs. For example, bio- technology manufacturing jobs in the state have in- creased by 28% over the last decade. Biotechnology manufacturing jobs are highly coveted by states, since they command higher wages and are less-easily offshored than less-specialized manufacturing jobs. Maryland and neighboring Virginia and Washington, D.C. boast a number of top-notch universities, mak- ing for a more highly educated workforce available, an asset to biotechnology companies. ROCHE TO ACQUIRE AUSTRIAN BIOTECHNOLOGY COMPANY FOR ITS BI-SPECIFIC ANTIBODY RESEARCH Why make when you can buy? That's a common question for businesses, since it's often better to ac- quire someone else's already-developed-or at least in-development-product or technology rather than invest in developing it yourself from scratch. The question is particularly important in the pharmaceu- tical world, where long research and development times means that acquiring a company with a head start in a promising area can shave years off time- to-market. Recently, Roche answered the make or buy question by choosing to buy: it announced an agreement to acquire a privately held Austrian 1 34 Biotechnology Law Report 1 Number 1, 2015 © Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. DOI: 10.1089/bir.2015.9995 News Briefs

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