Australian Senate Committee rejects ban on gene patents

Australia’s pharma and biotech industries breathed a sigh of relief, when a Private Members Bill seeking to ban patenting of biological materials was rejected by the country’s Senate Legal and Constitution Affairs Legislation Committee. The 124 page report tabled yesterday by the Senate Committee contained only one recommendation: “The committee recommends that the Senate should not pass the Bill.”

Pharma trade group Medicines Australia welcomed the decision, saying that the Committee’s report is the latest to demonstrate that there is no case for banning patents on biological materials, including genetic materials. Over the last decade three other Government reports have reached the same conclusion.

Medicines Australia chief executive Brendan Shaw said: “It is now time to put this matter to bed once and for all. Patents on biological materials are important because they guarantee ongoing investment in developing cutting-edge medicines and therapies. They ensure Australians have access to these medicines as soon as they become available.”