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British opponents of gene patenting this week exposed deals that give a
tobacco company exclusive rights to develop and sell vaccines against lung
cancer. “It’s cynical for tobacco companies to profit from diseases that their
own products cause,” says Helen Wallace of GeneWatch. The pressure group
highlights two deals struck by Japan Tobacco, which makes three of the world’s
five top-selling cigarette brands. In one deal, Corixa of Seattle, Washington,
granted Japan Tobacco a licence to develop vaccines based on patented genes that
are uniquely active in lung cancer cells.