Ethics and patentability in biotechnology

The systems of patent rights in force in Europe today, both at the level of national law and on the regional level, contain general clauses prohibiting the patenting of inventions whose publication and exploitation would be contrary to “ordre public” or morality. Recent years have brought frequent discussion about limiting the possibility of patent protection for biotechnological inventions for ethical reasons. This is undoubtedly a result of the dynamic development in this field in the last several years. Human genome sequencing, the first successful cloning of mammals, and the progress in human stem cell research present humanity with many new questions of an ethical nature. Directive 98/44 of the European Parliament and of the Council of July 6, 1998, on the Legal Protection of Biotechnological Inventions created a new basis for patent protection in this field of technology. Based on the European experience to now, however, it must be said that patent law is not the right place to legislate the consequences of the morality of an invention. An earlier version of this paper was presented at an international conference, “The Ethics of Intellectual Property Rights and Patents,” held in Warsaw, Poland on 23–24 April, 2004.     

Opinion on directive 98/44/EC on the legal protection of biotechnical inventions,and its implementation in Sweden

The following statement is the formal opinion by the Swedish National Council on Medical Ethics concerning the implementation of Directive 98/44/EC of the European Parliament concerning legal protection of biotechnical inventions, and the implications and implementation of this Directive in Sweden.     

产后抑郁预防干预方法现状分析

本文通过分析现有产后抑郁预防干预方法,为探索产后抑郁预防干预模式提供依据。研究中提及的产后抑郁预防干预方法众多,但缺乏效果评价,总体干预思路是以早发现为前哨,疏导为重点,建立社会支持系统为支撑,调整生活习惯为保障。集体心理干预值得推广,应加强实施效果评估,并将产后抑郁干预融入孕产妇保健体系。