I believe I can save you the trouble. They covered this in this year's 10-K:
>>We compete with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, including Canji, Inc. and Genvec, Inc., which are pursuing forms of treatment similar to ours for the diseases ADVEXIN therapy and our other product candidates target. We are aware Canji, with its parent Schering-Plough, has in the past been involved in research and/or development of adenoviral p53 products and has numerous patents and patent applications relating to adenoviral p53 therapy. We understand Schering-Plough has stopped its adenoviral p53 clinical trials, and it is unknown whether these parties are continuing their adenoviral p53 research and/or development efforts. We are also aware a Chinese pharmaceutical company, SiBioNo GeneTech, Inc., has recently announced it has received regulatory approval from the Chinese drug regulatory agency to market an adenoviral p53 product only in China. We control an issued Chinese patent covering adenoviral p53, and a number of pending Chinese applications directed to p53 therapy and adenoviral production. We do not at present know whether SiBioNo’s adenoviral p53 product is covered by patent protection or whether it infringes our Chinese patent or pending applications. We understand enforcement of patents in China is unpredictable and we do not know if monetary damages could be recovered from SiBioNo GeneTech if its product infringes our patent or patent applications. Patent enforcement and respect of international patent standards, rules and laws have not historically been a key characteristic of the Chinese government and patent system. Further, geopolitical developments, including trade and tariff disputes between the government of China and the United States Department of Commerce could add additional uncertainty to any effort to enforce patents, recover damages, if any, or engage in the sales and marketing of patented or non-patented products in China.<<
China's piracy policy will probably be especially effective wrt to things that save lives (as opposed to software). Obviously, it's uncertain whether or not SiBioNo has pirated this in a strictly legal sense, but it seems unlikely INGN will pursue them, regardless. A joint effort might be interesting; maybe they can do offshore manufacturing there for peanuts.
Cheers, Tuck |
