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

Over four years ago, in October 2014, Amgen initiated a patent infringement suit against Sanofi and Regeneron regarding biologics for treatment of high cholesterol.[1]  The case reached an important milestone recently as a jury entered a verdict largely upholding the validity of Amgen’s asserted patents, to the disappointment of Sanofi and Regeneron.  A similar