HEALTH

Drug Patent Review Requirements Changed: Pharmaceutical companies may now receive patents on products without having to conduct human clinical trials, according to regulations announced by federal officials. U.S. Patent and Trademark Commissioner Bruce A. Lehman said patent examiners in his office will accept “any kind of evidence” to prove the usefulness of a drug product and will not require that this proof come from expensive human clinical trials. He said the regulations were drawn up after biotech companies complained that extensive human clinical trials were required to prove that a drug worked.