Timing the filing of an inter partes review for companies in the early stage of developing a biosimilar product should be carefully considered based on the recent Federal Circuit case, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Appeal No. 2017-1694 (February 7, 2019). Momenta filed an IPR before the PTAB to challenge the validity of
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Teva Sues FDA Alleging Unlawful Interpretation of the Definition of “First Applicant”
The FDA Reauthorization Act of 2017 (FDARA) created a new type of 180-day exclusivity for ANDA applicants applying for approval of certain drugs designated as Competitive Generic Therapies. The FDARA, according to FDA commissioner, Scott Gottlieb, “is part of our broader effort to foster generic competition and help address the high cost of drugs […]…
USPTO Director Proposes New Patent Eligibility Guidance
The test for patentable subject matter under Section 101 lies at the heart of patent system. However, very little guidance is provided in the actual statutory language. It comes as no surprise that the “seemingly’ simple provision of patent eligible subject matter has caused a great deal of confusion among inventors, patent attorneys, district court…
Tribal Immunity Cannot Be Asserted to Escape IPR Proceedings
Indian tribes ability to shield patents from review at the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (“USPTO”) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) took another blow at the Federal Circuit. The Federal Circuit in a precedential decision, affirming the decision of the PTAB, held that tribal sovereign immunity cannot be asserted in inter partes…
FDA Approves First Marijuana-Based Drug to Treat Epilepsy
On June 25, 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) approved Epidiolex (cannabidiol), the first marijuana derived drug for use in the United States, to treat two rare forms of epilepsy. This decision for the FDA could have sweeping effects for the marijuana industry. While the FDA has previously approved drugs comprising synthetic (manufactured) cannabinoids,…
An Illustrated Guide to the USPTO’s New Memo on Method of Treatment Claims
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has renewed the hopes of applicants looking to patent method of treatment claims. A recent memo from the USPTO (the “Memo”) provides guidance on method of treatment claims, suggesting that when correctly drafted, such claims should generally be considered patent eligible subject matter.
The Memo comes…
Choose Your Weapon: Senate Amendment Pits ANDA/BPCIA Pathway Against Post-Grant Proceedings
Per Senator Orrin Hatch, the America Invents Act has disrupted the “careful balance” he struck with Senator Waxman in the development of the decades-old Hatch-Waxman Act governing the adjudication of generic drug litigation. On June 13, 2018, Senator Hatch filed an amendment in the Senate Judiciary Committee to remedy the perceived conflict between the “carefully…
The USDA’s Proposed National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard
On May 3, 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (“USDA”) released its much-anticipated proposed rule to establish a national standard for the disclosure of bioengineered ingredients in certain food products. The public comment period on the proposal has begun and runs through July 3, 2018. The proposed rule sheds light on certain aspects of the…
USPTO Announces Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Claim Construction Standard used in PTAB Proceedings
The USPTO announced today proposed rulemaking for changing its policy related to claim interpretation in Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) proceedings (not including patent examination). Currently, the broadest reasonable interpretation (“BRI”) standard is applied when analyzing claims. The proposed new rules would result in “the same as the standard applied in federal district courts…
Part 2 of 2: Supreme Court and Inter Partes Review
SAS Institute Inc. v. Iancu
As we recently noted in our companion piece Part 1 of 2: Supreme Court and Inter Partes Review, the Supreme Court issued decisions in two intellectual property appeals relating to inter partes review (“IPR”) before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In Oil States Energy Services LLC v. Greene’s…