1st Annual Life Sciences Law Forum: what do we know about the Unitary Patent?
Day two of the 1st Annual Life Sciences Forum in London saw panellists discuss the European Unitary Patent and the Unified Patent Court.
Australian Myriad ruling to face appeal
Law firm Maurice Blackburn revealed on Monday that it will appeal against an Australian court decision that backed Myriad Genetics’ ownership of a human gene mutation linked to breast cancer.
India rejects Bayer plea over compulsory licence
India’s patent authorities have dealt a blow to German pharma company Bayer by refusing to overturn an order forcing the company to license one of its patented drugs.
ViiV Healthcare joins patent pool for cheaper AIDS drugs
ViiV Healthcare, a public health joint venture between GlaxoSmithKline, Shionogi and Pfizer, has signed up to the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) to provide greater access to affordable AIDS treatments in developing countries.
UK patent change paves way for pharma innovation
The UK government announced a change to the Patent Act on Tuesday that will allow parties to run drug trials without infringing other parties’ patents.
FDA approves generic heroin substitutes
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic versions of Reckitt Benckiser’s heroin replacement tablet Suboxone – despite Reckitt’s claims that the product is unsafe.
BRICK nations catching up on patents, as Brazil looks to life sciences
In a report published by Thomson Reuters on February 20, the BRICK nations were shown to be filing almost as many patents as the G7 nations in 2011.
UK appeals court upholds Genentech patent
England’s Court of Appeal has affirmed a 2012 High Court ruling that pharmaceutical company Genentech’s patent covering human vascular endothelial growth factor antagonists is valid and has been infringed by Regeneron and Bayer Pharmaceutical’s drug Eylea.
US appeals court upholds AstraZeneca’s Seroquel XR patent
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a 2012 ruling that AstraZeneca’s patent for antipsychotic drug Seroquel XR is valid and has been infringed by companies selling competing generics.
Teva faces $2 billion damages for selling generic Protonix
Israeli company Teva Pharmaceuticals could be forced to pay more than $2 billion in damages for selling a generic version of Nycomed and Pfizer’s heartburn reliever Protonix before the drug’s patent exclusivity expired in the US.
