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) – US: CAFC affirms nonobviousness of Plavix isomer patent: Sanofi-Synthelabo et al v Apotex (Patently-O) (Orange Book Blog) (Patent Prospector) (Law360) (Hal Wegner) (Patent Baristas) (Patent Docs) (Promote the Progress) (GenericsWeb)

WHO meeting on pandemic influenza preparedness: last-minute progress made on access to virus and vaccines; intellectual property issues still on the table (Intellectual Property Watch) (Ars Technica)

General

Less tactics and more strategy if you please (IP Think Tank)

First coordinated EU Customs campaign catches 34 million counterfeit medicines (IP Dragon)

WHO meeting on pandemic influenza preparedness: last-minute progress made on access to virus and vaccines; intellectual property issues still on the table (Intellectual Property Watch) (Ars Technica)

Canada: Canadian drugmakers fight patent law (GenericsWeb)

Denmark: Danish Patent and Trademark Office recently launched initiative to combat counterfeit medicines (Innovationpartners)

India: Section 3(d) scrutiny: Indian patent database will be ready by March 2009 (Spicy IP)

India: Shipments seizure: India’s drug makers may avoid EU route (Mint article) (Spicy IP)

Kenya: Counterfeit drugs worth Ksh 5 million destroyed (Afro-IP)

Kenya: New malaria drug in the making? (IP Kenya)

UK: Damages for observing patent injunction: Les Laboratoires Servier & Anor v Apotex Inc & Ors (IP finance)

US/China: ‘Eli Lilly lobbies on counterfeiting and regulatory issues involving China’ (IP Dragon)

US: Federal judge dismisses patent lawsuit filed by Human Genome Sciences against Genentech over patent related to type of protein that can be used to detect tumours (Law360)

US: MedImmune seeks invalidation of five patents owned by PDL BioPharma as part of licensing fight over respiratory drug for infants and related product (Law360)

US: Personalised medicine: A Patent Office perspective (Patent Docs)

US: Science article ‘Trends in Human Gene Patent Litigation’ should help allay gene patenting fears (Patent Docs)

Products

Actos (Pioglitazone) – US: What’s the cost of misconduct in a patent lawsuit? $16.8 million for Alphapharm and Mylan: Takeda v Mylan (Patent Baristas) (Patent Docs)

Boniva (Ibandronic acid) – US: Apotex challenges validity of Hoffmann-La Roche’s Boniva patent (Law360)

Boniva (Ibandronic acid) – US: Orchid Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals and Orgenus Pharma seek declaratory judgment of invalidity and noninfringement in patent infringement suit brought by Hoffmann-La Roche over Boniva (Law360)

Cardizem (Diltiazem) – Antitrust, infringement claims split in Cardizem litigation between Biovail and Sun Pharmaceutical (Law360)

Clarinex (Desloratadine) – US: Lupin settles Clarinex suit with Schering (Law360) (Patent Circle)

Clarinex (Desloratadine) – US: Schering files patent infringement suit against Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals and Orgenus over generic Clarinex (Law360)

Cutivate (Fluticasone propionate) – US: Nycomed files patent infringement lawsuit against Glenmark Generics relating to Cutivate skin lotion (GenericsWeb)

Cymbalta (Duloxetine) – US: Eli Lilly files six new lawsuits against companies including Impax, Sandoz, Cobalt, Aurobindo and Actavis to halt generic Cymbalta (Law360)

Levaquin (Levofloxacin) – Canada: Federal Court rejects inequitable conduct doctrine in Canada: Janssen-Ortho Inc v Apotex (International Law Office)

Nexium (Esomeprazole) – US: AstraZeneca to add defendant, Cipla, and patent to infringement suit against Teva and Ivax over Nexium (Law360)

Plavix (Clopidogrel) – US: CAFC affirms nonobviousness of Plavix isomer patent: Sanofi-Synthelabo et al v Apotex (Patently-O) (Orange Book Blog) (Patent Prospector) (Law360) (Hal Wegner) (Patent Baristas) (Patent Docs) (Promote the Progress) (GenericsWeb)

Truvada (Tenofovir, Emtricitabine) – US: Gilead sues Teva over Truvada ANDA (Law360) (SmartBrief)