Within hours of the Supreme Court’s ruling that human genes can not be patented, various companies and academic laboratories announced they would offer tests of those two genes, breaking the hold that Myriad Genetics held for nearly two decades. Many of the new tests were less expensive than the roughly $4,000 that Myriad charged for a full analysis of the two genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2.
But Myriad this week sued two of those competitors — Ambry Genetics and Gene by Gene — saying their tests infringed some of the more than 500 other patent claims that were not invalidated by the Supreme Court, for instance, on synthetic DNA used as probes and on methods of testing.
Read the full article here: 2 Competitors Sued by Genetics Company for Patent Infringement
Related on the SLP
Additional Resources:
- “Myriad Genetics, Inc. v Ambry Genetics Corporation“
- “Ambry Genetics Will Vigorously Defend Against BRCA1 And BRCA2 Gene Patent Infringement Suit,” Ambry Genetics
— Soon after the suit was filed, Ambry Genetics issued a press release, declaring that they will, unsurprisingly, defend themselves. - “Genetics company files patent lawsuits against competitors,” Los Angeles Times
— Shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, both of the companies released statements saying they’d offer the breast cancer test. Learn more about the company’s reaction to the suits here. - “Myriad, fresh off Supreme Court loss, keeps on suing over gene patents,” Ars Technica
— This article from Ars Technica contains details about the specific patents that were violated, according to Myriad’s suit.
