Got Patential?

"If, on the night before Christmas, you still don't know what to give that biotechnology giant or budding lawyer-scientist, San Diego inventor Richard Warburg has a suggestion.

The intellectual property attorney's latest creation, 'Patential' promises not to cure any diseases or facilitate medical procedures of any kind. It's a board game that attempts to unravel the mysteries of the drug patenting and licensing process...

Game players are entrepreneurs with cash flow and choices to make. Buy or license a drug patent. Apply for a patent. Enter clinical trials. Or sit tight and raise more money from investors.

The road ahead is printed with all the myriad contingencies and successes one might find in the real world of drug development. An eerie illustration of cold hard cash and pills on the box cover depicts what awaits game players inside. Sometimes the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) expedites its review and you find yourself ahead. Other times, it's hard to find enough volunteers to test your drug on, and you have to hold off. Sometimes patients die, or the government passes a new law and you've got to have your attorney look things over."