Medical Treatments

TPP Negotiators Reached Agreement With Sticky Compromise On Biologics Drugs

A big sticking point in the negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership involved biologics medicines and vaccines created from living organisms. The dispute centered on patent protection: how many years drug companies should have before facing competition from generics. The negotiators ended up with a complicated compromise that gives drug makers five to eight years of protection. But nobody is really happy with the outcome.

Scientists Grow Primitive Human Kidneys In A Dish

Scientists have tried for years to grow artificial kidneys in the lab. They've gotten a bit closer by using stem cells to create an "organoid" much like a fetal kidney. But it's missing key parts.