Here is IP Think Tank’s weekly selection of top Pharma & Biotech intellectual property news breaking in the blogosphere and internet.

Please join the discussion by adding your comments on any of these stories, and please do let us know if you think we’ve missed something important, or if there is a source you think should be monitored.

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Highlights this week included:

Plavix (Clopidogrel) – Canada: Supreme Court upholds selection patents: Apotex v Sanofi-Synthelabo Canada et al (Pharmacapsules @ Gowlings) (Hal Wegner)

Cymbalta (Duloxetine) – US: Eli Lilly files patent infringement suits against Wockhardt, Sandoz, Impax, Colbalt and Actavis to block generic Cymbalta (Patent Circle) (GenericsWeb) (Law360) (Law360)

General

Managing Intellectual Property article: Patent term extensions (SPC Blog)

Team of experts form WHO working group on IP and neglected diseases (Intellectual Property Watch)

Ministers, stakeholders meet in Mali to strategise on health research systems (Intellectual Property Watch)

Australia: Senate Community Affairs Committee inquiry into gene patents (IP Down Under)

EU: EPO Technical Board of Appeal upholds Stem Cell Sciences’ internal ribosome entry site technology patent dismissing objections raised by Institut Pasteur (Competitive Info)

EU: EPO Technical Board of Appeal upholds University of Utah and the USA’s controversial patent for diagnosing predisposition for breast and ovarian cancer in amended form (Managing Intellectual Property)

Finland: Parliament passes controversial bill on generic substitution of drugs (GenericsWeb)

Italy: SPCs in Italy (SPC Blog)

US: Supreme Court clarifies preliminary injunction standard; food and drug lawyers should take note: Winter v Natural Resources Defense Council (FDA Law Blog)

US: Trinko’s twist: new antitrust argument against product hopping (Patent Baristas)

US: Two patentees, Ironwood and Napo Pharmaceuticals follow Wyeth’s lead in seeking additional patent term adjustment (PTA) (Patent Docs)

US: The relevance of In re Bilski to the patentability of the metabolite claim (Patent Docs)

US: Key decision makers will shape the biosimilars landscape (GenericsWeb)

US: Economist argues that seven years ought to be enough for biological data exclusivity (Patent Baristas)

US: Federal Trade Commission reveals agenda for follow-on biologics roundtable (FDA Law Blog)

Products

Allegra (Fexofenadine) – US: AMRI announces agreement between Aventis, Sanofi-Aventis, Teva and Barr to settle Allegra and Allegra D-12 patent litigation (SmartBrief) (Law360) (The IP Factor)

Boniva (Ibandronic acid) – US: Hoffmann-La Roche and Mutual Pharmaceutical drop claims and counterclaims related to one of the patents at the centre of Boniva case (Law360)

Cardizem (Diltiazem) – US: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries accuses Biovail of antitrust violations and misleading the USPTO in counterclaims regarding Cardizem patents (Law360)

Clarinex (Desloratadine) – US: Schering sues Sun, Caraco alleging infringement of its latest Clarinex patent (Law360)

Comtan (Entacapone) – US: Orion files patent infringement lawsuit against Sun Pharma to halt generic Comtan (GenericsWeb) (Law360)

Coreg (Carvedilol) – US: Teva, Zydus drop some claims in Coreg patent suit (Law360)

Cymbalta (Duloxetine) – US: Eli Lilly files patent infringement suits against Wockhardt, Sandoz, Impax, Colbalt and Actavis to block generic Cymbalta (Patent Circle) (GenericsWeb) (Law360) (Law360)

Effexor (Venlafaxine) – US: Wyeth asks for delay in patent fight with Apotex (Law360)

Gemzar (Gemcitabine) – Australia: Interlocutory injunction granted in Interpharma v Eli Lilly (IP Down Under)

Metacam (Meloxicam) – US: Boehringer sues to block Norbrook’s generic Metacam (Law360)

Oxycontin (Oxycodone) – US: Alpharma files preemptive lawsuit against Oxycontin makers Purdue Pharma over right to market ALO-01 (Law360)

Plavix (Clopidogrel) – Canada: Supreme Court upholds selection patents: Apotex v Sanofi-Synthelabo Canada et al (Pharmacapsules @ Gowlings) (Hal Wegner)

Pulmicort (Budesonide) – US: FDA approves Teva’s generic Pulmicort despite patent trial between AstraZeneca and Teva scheduled for January (Law360)

RoundUp Ready soya (Glyphosate-resistant soya) – EU: Referral made to ECJ for preliminary ruling regarding scope of Biotechnology Directive protection in patent infringement proceedings between Monsanto and soy meal traders and state of Argentina: C-428/08 Monsanto Technology (IPKat)

Treximet (Sumatriptan) – US: Pozen sues Par Pharmaceuticals over generic Treximet ANDA (Law360)

Truvada (Emtricitabine, Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) – US: Teva submits ANDA contesting two of Gilead’s Truvada patents (GenericsWeb) (Law360)

Velcade (Bortezomib) – US: University of Kansas research centre sues United States in effort to have two of its researchers added as inventors to two Velcade patents (Law360)

Viagra (Sildenafil) – Spain: VIAGRA found to be ‘well-known’ trade mark: Pfizer v SPTO (Class 46)