As a firm responsible for managing global portfolios for pharmaceutical companies, we closely follow and seek to stay abreast of developments regarding patentability in various jurisdictions. We recently reviewed the Unified Patent Court (UPC) first decision – invalidating EP Patent No. 3,666,797 B1 – and provided a summary of that case. This analysis will focus
Brave New World: UPC Central Division’s First Opinion is a Revocation of Antibody Claims as Lacking Inventive Step
As a firm responsible for managing global portfolios for pharmaceutical companies, we closely follow and seek to stay abreast of developments regarding patentability in various jurisdictions. Thus, we reviewed the UPC’s first decision and provide a summary of the first revocation of a European patent by the new Unified Patent Court (UPC).
Please note that…
BPCIA Litigation Update: Amgen v. Sandoz in the District of New Jersey
As one BPCIA case came to a close in May[1], another got underway. On May 1, 2023, Amgen filed a complaint in the District of New Jersey, accusing Sandoz of infringing patents that relate to denosumab, the active ingredient in Amgen’s PROLIA and XGEVA. PROLIA is prescribed for a high risk of bone…
Janssen and Amgen Settle Stelara BPCIA Case
On Tuesday, May 23, 2023, Janssen and Amgen settled their case regarding Amgen’s proposed biosimilar to Stelara in Delaware district court.[1]
Stelara, also known as ustekinumab, is an anti-IL-12/IL-23 antibody drug used to treat plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis. Amgen has created a biosimilar of Stelara called ABP 654, which…
Amgen v. Sanofi Case on Enablement of Antibody Genus Claims Will be Heard at the Supreme Court; Cert Denied in Juno v. Kite
The Supreme Court agreed on Friday, November 4, 2022, to review the standard for enablement of genus claims after the Federal Circuit’s decision in Amgen, Inc. v. Sanofi. We have previously covered Amgen’s petition for a writ of certiorari and the multiple amicus curiae briefs submitted in the case. As detailed below, the Supreme…
Will the Supreme Court Take the Bait? CVSG Issued and Other Updates in the Amgen v. Sanofi Case
On April 18, 2022, the Supreme Court invited the Solicitor General to file a brief expressing the views of the United States in the Amgen, Inc. v. Sanofi, Inc. case, which involves important questions of enablement for genus claims. We have previously covered the Federal Circuit’s decision, Amgen’s petition for a writ of certiorari…
A Potential Pivot in Patent Procedure – Will the Supreme Court Hear Amgen’s Challenge to the Standard of Review for Enablement?
As we have previously discussed, on February 11, 2021, the Federal Circuit decided Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi, Aventisub LLC, et al. The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of JMOL that Amgen’s Repatha® patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,829,165 and 8,859,741) were invalid for lack of enablement. The claims at issue…
‘The Sky is [Not] Falling,’ Federal Circuit Urges as it Continues to Dismantle Broad Pharmaceutical Patents
On June 21, 2021, the Federal Circuit denied Amgen’s petition for en banc review of the court’s February 2021 decision in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi, Aventisub LLC, et al., 987 F.3d 1080 (Fed. Cir. 2021), which found that Amgen’s two patents covering the cholesterol-lowering antibody drug Repatha® are invalid for lack of…
A Heightened Bar: Federal Circuit Leaves Functional Antibody Claims on Thin Ice
In a precedential opinion in Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi, Aventisub LLC, et al., No. 20-1074 (Fed. Cir. 2021) issued on February 11, 2021, the Federal Circuit affirmed the decision of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware granting JMOL that Amgen’s Repatha® patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,829,165 and 8,859,741)…
Amgen Faces “Uphill Battle” in Defending Antibody Genus Patentability
On December 9, 2020, the Federal Circuit heard oral arguments on the validity of Amgen’s patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,829,165 and 8,859,741) on cholesterol-lowering drug Repatha. Specifically, the question came down to whether the patents, claiming a genus of antibodies by their functional properties, are enabled under 35 U.S.C § 112. The panel consisted of…