TITLE: Blair and Clinton push to stop gene patents AUTHOR: David Hencke, Rob Evans and Tim Radford PUBLICATION: The Guardian DATE: 20 September 1999 SOURCE: The Guardian Online URL: http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/guardian/ BLAIR AND CLINTON PUSH TO STOP GENE PATENTS David Hencke, Rob Evans and Tim Radford The Guardian, London, Monday September 20, 1999 Tony Blair and Bill Clinton are negotiating an Anglo-American agreement to protect the 100,000 genes that control the human body and provide the catalysts for medical advance. The extraordinary deal - initiated by Mr Blair - aims to prevent entrepreneurs profiting from gene patents and to ensure that the benefits of research are freely available worldwide to combat or even eliminate diseases. The two leaders decided to act after an acceleration in the pace of discovery of the make-up of the human body. In 1997, 8,000 genes had been mapped; by 2003, the body's entire 100,000 genes will have been mapped. The deal aims to ensure that world's largest medical charity, the British-owned Wellcome Trust, and the US government owned National Institute of Health, publicise genes within 24 hours of their discovery - so that the benefits accrue entirely to the public. Research bodies, universities or laboratories, would be obliged to waive their rights to patent their work in the public interest. To get the deal Mr Blair, through his science envoy, Lord Sainsbury, pressed the US government to scrap an agreement with an American entrepreneur scientist, Craig Venter, who set up his own company, Celera in Maryland, to patent as many human genes as possible. As revealed in the Guardian last year, Dr Venter believed that he had developed a method to map the whole gene make-up before the international venture could do so - thus enabling him to patent the information. To protect his investment he tried to get a deal with the US department of energy, which the Wellcome Trust warned would inhibit development of drugs since companies would have to buy a licence to use a Venter gene. Documents released to the Guardian under the US freedom of information law show there have been discussions between Lord Sainsbury and Neal Lane, Bill Clinton's science and technology adviser, to turn what is known as the Bermuda accord - an informal agreement to release all research on human genes without claiming patents - into a full inter-governmental agreement. The two talked in Kyoto in Japan and Williamsburg in the US during the Carnegie group summits of G8 science ministers. One e-mail by Mr Lane to a colleague in Washington last December says: "Tony Blair might approach the potus [Bill Clinton] about having a written agreement on cooperation re the human genome project. Lord Sainsbury is handling this matter for the PM. Harold Varmus [director of the US national institute of health] feels an agreement is not really needed but has no objection to having one if it is felt to be important." Another e-mail discloses talks this year with Ari Patrinos, head of the human genome project at the US department of energy, on how to draw up the Anglo-American agreement. The e-mail discloses that, before the talks, the department of energy withdrew its agreement with Celera and put up proposals to incorporate the company in a joint US-UK agreement. Officials are worried it may not agree, but the e-mail ends: "Bottom line is that, although [the energy department] did have an earlier agreement with Celera, they have since withdrawn it and are working with [the US health institute] and the Wellcome Trust as a group on any future industry agreements." The department of trade and industry said yesterday: "The US has proposed an inter-government agreement on the human genome project. We are currently negotiating." The Wellcome Trust said it was keen on a deal that would develop the Bermuda accord. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 1999