December 11, 2008 (Mountain View, CA) – Fenwick & West congratulates its client Monogram Biosciences on placing 21st in the most recent Wall Street Journal Biotech Industry Patent Scorecard for biotech portfolios. Monogram has placed among the top IP portfolios for the last three years, starting in 2006.
"Monogram's portfolio is not only among the top biotech portfolios but is also among the top 3 highest-ranked diagnostic portfolios. This is a considerable accomplishment for Monogram, putting it in the company of organizations with many more resources and much larger legal departments" said Narinder Banait, a patent partner in the firm's Life Sciences Group who has been primarily responsible for working with Monogram to strengthen its patent portfolio in oncology. "It is a testament to the role that legal and scientific prowess can play to create value in a small biotech company."
"We are very pleased that the Patent Scorecard recognizes the tremendous effort we've put towards building this portfolio" said Tom Anderton, who is Associate General Counsel at Monogram Biosciences, as well as its chief patent counsel, and has built Monogram's IP portfolio in oncology and virology since coming to Monogram in 2005. "It certainly emphasizes the significance and business value that strategic portfolio development holds for smaller biotech companies."
The Wall Street Journal'sPatent Scorecard ranks companies within an industry on the business fit and quality of their patents. In the case of the biotechnology industry, the leading indicator measured is the degree to which a company's patent portfolio is linked to its business and core science.
Monogram is advancing individualized medicine by discovering, developing and marketing innovative products to guide and improve treatment of serious infectious diseases and cancer. Monogram's products are designed to help doctors optimize treatment regimens for their patients that lead to better outcomes and reduced costs. The Company's technology is also being used by numerous biopharmaceutical companies to develop new and improved anti-viral therapeutics and vaccines as well as targeted cancer therapeutics. More information about the Company and its technology can be found on its web site at www.monogrambio.com.
Fenwick & West's Life Sciences Industry Group consists of more than 40 attorneys and scientists who provide a broad mix of core legal services to private companies, public companies, investors and research institutions. Many of our Life Sciences Group attorneys have scientific and research experience prior to their legal careers, and a number have advanced technical degrees in disciplines such as molecular biology, organic chemistry, electrical engineering, and immunology.