[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 68 (Thursday, April 8, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 18600]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-7926]



[[Page 18600]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Prospective Grant of Exclusive License: Dengue Tetravalent 
Vaccine Containing a Common 30 Nucleotide Deletion in The 3'-UTR of 
Dengue Types 1,2,3, And 4

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This is notice, in accordance with 35 U.S.C. 209(c)(1) and 37 
CFR 404.7(a)(1)(i), that the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 
Department of Health and Human Services, is contemplating the grant of 
an exclusive license to practice the following invention as embodied in 
the following patent applications: (1) E-120-2001, Whitehead et al., 
``Development of Mutations Useful for Attenuating Dengue Viruses and 
Chimeric Dengue Viruses'', U.S. Provisional Patent Application 60/
293,049, filed May 22, 2001, PCT/US02/16308, filed May 22, 2002, U.S. 
Patent Application 10/719,547, filed November 21, 2003, European Patent 
Application 02739358.6, filed May 22, 2002, Canadian Patent Application 
2448329, filed May 22, 2002, Indian Patent Application 2814DELNP2003, 
filed May 22, 2002, Australian Patent Application 2002312011, filed May 
22, 2002, and Brazilian Patent Application PI0209943.8, filed May 22, 
2002, and (2) E-089-2002, ``Dengue Tetravalent Vaccine Containing a 
Common 30 Nucleotide Deletion in The 3'-UTR of Dengue Types 1,2,3, And 
4, or Antigenic Chimeric Dengue Viruses 1,2,3, And 4'', U.S. 
Provisional Applications 60/377,860, filed May 3, 2002, 60/436,500, 
filed December 23, 2002, PCT/US03/13279, filed April 25, 2003 to 
MacroGenics, Inc., having a place of business in Rockville, Maryland. 
The patent rights in this invention have been assigned to the United 
States of America.

DATES: Only written comments and/or application for a license which are 
received by the NIH Office of Technology Transfer on or before June 7, 
2004, will be considered.

ADDRESSES: Requests for a copy of the patent application, inquiries, 
comments and other materials relating to the contemplated license 
should be directed to: Peter Soukas, Office of Technology Transfer, 
National Institutes of Health, 6011 Executive Boulevard, Suite 325, 
Rockville, MD 20852-3804; E-mail: [email protected]; Telephone: (301) 435-
4646; Facsimile: (301) 402-0220.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The global prevalence of dengue has grown 
dramatically in recent decades. The disease is now endemic in more than 
100 countries in Africa, North and South America, the Eastern 
Mediterranean, Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. Southeast Asia 
and the Western Pacific are most seriously affected. Before 1970 only 
nine countries had experienced Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) 
epidemics, a number that had increased more than four-fold by 1995. WHO 
currently estimates there may be 50 million cases of dengue infection 
worldwide every year.
    The methods and compositions of this invention provide a means for 
prevention of dengue infection and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) by 
immunization with attenuated, immunogenic viral vaccines against 
dengue. The vaccine is further described in Blaney JE et al., 
``Mutations which enhance the replication of dengue virus type 4 and an 
antigenic chimeric dengue virus type 2/4 vaccine candidate in Vero 
cells.'' Vaccine 2003 Oct 1;21(27-30):4317-27 and Whitehead SS et al., 
``A live, attenuated dengue virus type 1 vaccine candidate with a 30-
nucleotide deletion in the 3' untranslated region is highly attenuated 
and immunogenic in monkeys.'' J. Virol. 2003 Jan;77(2):1653-7.
    The prospective exclusive license will be royalty bearing and will 
comply with the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7. 
The prospective exclusive license may be granted unless, within 60 days 
from the date of this published Notice, NIH receives written evidence 
and argument that establishes that the grant of the license would not 
be consistent with the requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 CFR 404.7.
    The field of use may be limited to live attenuated vaccines against 
dengue infections in humans. The Licensed Territory may be limited to 
the United States, the European Union, Japan, and Canada.
    Properly filed competing applications for a license filed in 
response to this notice will be treated as objections to the 
contemplated license. Comments and objections submitted in response to 
this notice will not be made available for public inspection, and, to 
the extent permitted by law, will not be released under the Freedom of 
Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.

    Dated: March 31, 2004.
Steven M. Ferguson,
Director, Division of Technology Development and Transfer, Office of 
Technology Transfer, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 04-7926 Filed 4-7-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P