Guidelines for the Licensing of Genetic Inventions

OECD member countries have adopted an agreed set of Guidelines for the Licensing of Genetic Inventions used in healthcare, in a move designed to help people benefit more widely from advances in genetics while making research and innovation faster and more efficient.

The Guidelines respond to some of the concerns of governments, patient groups and industry that patenting of genetic inventions and restrictive licensing of their use is reducing access to the benefits of the technology and discouraging new research.