New Zika patents submitted in US

BioLytical Laboratories, a Canadian based biotech company, has filed two patent applications covering a method for detecting the Zika virus.

The first patent application describes a method for detecting active or past infection using Zika as an example while the second describes a method for differentiating between early or late stages of infection.

Both applications were filed at the US Patent and Trademark Office.

In a statement on Friday, August 19, Rick Galli, chief technical officer at BioLytical, said: “It is important  to have innovative and relevant technologies at a state of readiness to enable a rapid response to emerging infectious diseases like the Zika virus outbreak.”

He added: “These patents represent an important first step in being able to effectively respond to current and future outbreaks.”

In February, LSIPR reported that India-based vaccines and biotherapeutic manufacturer Bharat Biotech said it had filed the first patent for a vaccine for Zika.

The company said that it is developing two “promising candidates” called Zikavac which it hopes will treat the virus. It applied for global patent protection under the Patent Cooperation Treaty in July last year.

The Zika virus, spread by mosquitoes, is present in several countries and has been particularly problematic in Brazil where the summer Olympic Games have just concluded.