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7 October 2016Big Pharma

Event preview: Life Sciences Patents Network Europe 2016

Newton Media, the publisher of Life Sciences IP Review, is excited to host this publication’s first event. On December 7, 2016, the best and brightest people working in life sciences intellectual property, including in-house counsel and private practitioners, will converge on the Bloomsbury Hotel in London for a day of networking, education and debate.

So far, we have confirmed speakers from leading drugs companies Bayer, GSK, Novartis and Lundbeck, among others, and representatives from the European Patent Office and the European Commission will also be presenting.

We have attempted to cover as many important topics as possible in one day, but a couple stand out.

The first is the unitary patent and related Unified Patent Court (UPC) system. After years of waiting and with the new regime ready to go, the British electorate has thrown a last-minute spanner in the works by voting to leave the EU. The UK must ratify the UPC Agreement for it to take effect, and that is now politically highly unlikely.

There is still confidence in some quarters that the new system will go ahead—with or without the UK’s involvement—so we are dedicating a session to the topic. If you’re wondering exactly how Brexit is likely to affect the patent package and the court, or how best to approach filing infringement and revocation claims, or perhaps the role of supplementary protection certificates (SPCs), then we have several experts on hand to help.

"The calibre of the speakers should show that this is must-attend event and we promise it will keep you well-prepared for 2017 and beyond."

On the topic of SPCs, there will be a session focusing on several issues. From the latest case law to the different European approaches to granting SPCs, we hope to provide some practical guidance about how best to manage your portfolio. The guidance on SPCs (or lack of it) from the Court of Justice of the European Union can be a thorny issue, and some lawyers have said Brexit could provide fresh hope for those in the UK, as Britain may be forced to draw up new, clearer legislation.

Second medical use patents represent another subject that will require attention, particularly in light of the continuing Warner-Lambert v Sandoz litigation in the UK. The dispute, which relates to Warner-Lambert’s drug Lyrica (pregabalin), has revealed how complicated an area this is for IP lawyers. Second medical use patents protect another use of a known active ingredient. Lyrica treats pain relief, epilepsy and anxiety disorders, but the litigation mainly concerns a patent covering pain relief.

The session will work through some of the questions in this field, including what generic companies can do before attempting to launch a version of a patent-protected product, what innovator drugs companies should do when confronted with suspected infringement, and other lessons learned from the Warner-Lambert case. The dispute is currently under appeal following the English High Court’s decision to invalidate Warner-Lambert’s patent.

There will be several other targeted sessions, with the event considering patents and 3D printing, the effect of mergers and acquisitions on patents and licensing, and general patenting trends to monitor over the next few years, among others. With the aim of keeping the day as interactive as possible, we will also be hosting some roundtable discussions on a range of talking points, including technology transfer and data protection.

There is currently much uncertainty in a number of areas of the life sciences IP industry, and by attending the conference you can interact with and learn from other specialists and take that rich knowledge back to your firm or company. The calibre of the speakers should show that this is must-attend event and we promise it will keep you well-prepared for 2017 and beyond.

Please contact Jamie Playford (jplayford@newtonmedia.co.uk) for more information. To register, please visit https://newtonmedia.swoogo.com/lifesciencespatentsnetworkeurope2016/begin

Selected speakers confirmed to date

Heli Pihlajamaa, Director, Directorate Patent Law, European Patent Office

Jörg Thomaier, Head of IP, Bayer Group

Ray Cresswell, Former Vice President, Legal Counsel, GSK (UK)

Jürgen Dressel, Head Global Patent Litigation Strategy, Novartis

Bo Kalum, European Patent Attorney/Senior Patent Specialist, Global Patents, Lundbeck

Fiona Bor, Head of IP, Mereo Bio Pharma

Bernd Hutter, Head of IP, MorphoSys

Marion Rees, Intellectual Property Director, Circassia

Sven Bostyn, Chair, Expert Group on Patent Law, Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, European Commission

Sponsors

Allen & Overy (headline sponsor)

Abe & Partners

HGF

Hogan Lovells

Peksung Intellectual Property