US Govt Holds Patent on Ebola, But Researcher Rejects Conspiracy Theories

Thursday, 09 Oct 2014 11:24 AM
By Charlotte Libov

Word is spreading on Internet sites that the U.S. government will profit from the Ebola crisis because a patent it holds on the virus would allow it to make money on treatments. However, a top Ebola researcher tells Newsmax Health that these conspiracy theories are off base.

It’s true that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does hold a patent on one strain of Ebola. However, it is not the type that is causing the current outbreak, said David Sanders, professor of biological sciences at Purdue University.

What’s more, the government holds patents on many microbes discovered in its labs and there is “nothing nefarious” about it,” says Sanders, who has done research into how to prevent Ebola from being used as a biological weapon.

Websites including The Common Sense Show, Natural News, and White Out Press have spread the word about the U.S. patent on Ebola, along with headlines hypothesizing that government’s intention is to “raise billions from a pandemic.” “

Sanders said that the government patents viruses and other disease-causing microbes to make sure the pathogens remain available for research purposes in the public domain. If a private company held the patents, it could potentially hold onto pathogens or charge licensing fees that would stifle research to find treatments.

Read more: http://www.NewsmaxHealth.com/Headline/eb.../#ixzz3GCQYkG14