Second Medical Use

Where a substance or composition is already known to have been used in a ‘first medical use’, it may still be patentable for any second or further use, provided that said use is novel and inventive. This is an exception from the general principle that product claims can only be obtained for (absolutely) novel products. ‘Second Medical Use’ patents are an important component of the potential second-line patent protection.

Australia, Case Law, Pharma, Revocation, Second Medical Use, Sufficiency of disclosure, United Kingdom, Validity

, , (Clayton Utz)/

On 21 October 2016, the Federal Court of Australia handed down its judgment in the case of Apotex Pty Ltd v Warner-Lambert Company LLC (No 2) [2016] FCA 1238 (FCA Judgment).  Justice John Nicholas found in favour of Warner-Lambert, both upholding the validity of its patent claims and granting final injunctions restraining infringement by Apotex….

(Indirect) infringement, Pharma, Procedure, Revocation, Second Medical Use, Sufficiency of disclosure, United Kingdom, Validity

, , (Bristows)/

Media attention at the English High Court today may have been focussed on the Article 50 challenge but for many patent lawyers operating in the life sciences sector, of equal or greater importance was the handing down of the long-awaited judgment in the Lyrica appeal. To recap briefly, Pfizer was the owner of a patent…

(Indirect) infringement, Netherlands, Pharma, Priority right, Second Medical Use

(Brinkhof)/

In 2010 the EPO’s Enlarged Board of Appeal took the badge of Swiss type claims from patentees (G 02/08), and since then they cannot use it anymore. Six years later two cases on (infringement of) Swiss type / second medical use claims are knockin’ on the Dutch Supreme Court’s door. While the Enlarged Board put…

Case Law, Second Medical Use, Spain

(Clifford Chance)/

As readers know well, over the last few years courts around Europe have handed down several ground-breaking decisions on the scope of “second medical use” claims and, in particular, the activities required of third parties to guarantee the fair protection of such claims. Most of these decisions have revolved around the Lyrica® (pregabalin) patent, which…

Inventive step, Pharma, Priority right, Second Medical Use, Sufficiency of disclosure, United Kingdom

(Bristows)/

Mr Justice Carr has only been sitting as a full time judge for just over a month and yet in his decision of 16 November 2015, he has already produced what this author considers to be a sensible, but thought-provoking judgment that is readable and comparatively concise. The case involved a challenge by the well-known…

(Indirect) infringement, Extent of Protection, Procedure, Scope of protection, Second Medical Use, United Kingdom

, (Bristows)/

The Actavis v Eli Lilly UK litigation concerning pemetrexed (sold by Eli Lilly under the brand Alimta(®) has already been widely reported in light of Actavis’ innovative application to the English court for declarations of non-infringement (DNIs) of national designations of a European Patent in addition to the UK designation. The latest instalment concerns the…

(Indirect) infringement, Enforcement, Extent of Protection, Injunction, Scope of protection, Second Medical Use, United Kingdom

(Bristows)/

On 28 May 2015, the English Court of Appeal issued a ruling in the on-going Lyrica saga which, although almost certainly not representing the last word on the topic, took a markedly different approach to the correct construction of Swiss form claims to the first instance judge, Arnold J. One thing there does appears to…

(Indirect) infringement, Exceptions to patentability, Pharma, Second Medical Use, Switzerland

(MLL Legal Ltd.)/

By Mark Schweizer, Reinhard Oertli and Simon Holzer The Swiss lawmaker plans to introduce a new exemption from patent protection for physicians and pharmacies. The new exemptions aims to protect physicians and pharmacies from being involved in patent disputes concerning second medical use claims according to the EPC 2000 (purpose-limited product Claims). From Swiss-type claims…

(Indirect) infringement, Second Medical Use

(Bristows)/

Marleen H J van den Hors (BarentsKrans in the Netherlands) dealt with the interesting question of enforcement of second medical use patents and suggested that regulatory changes might be required to facilitate enforcement.  She pointed out that there has been different interpretations of Swiss-style claims in the Netherlands and the UK leading to a different…

Second Medical Use, United Kingdom

, (Bristows)/

At the end of January, we reported the Warner-Lambert v Actavis decision of 21 January 2015, in which Arnold J refused to grant Warner-Lambert interim relief in relation to an apprehension of patent infringement by Actavis of Warner-Lambert’s patent comprising Swiss-form claims directed to the use of pregabalin in the preparation of a medicament for…