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

 

Highlights this week included:

FDA issues draft guidance on biosimilars (Patent Docs) (Orange Book Blog) (Pharma Patents) (FDA Law Blog) (Patent Docs)

Crestor (Rosuvastatin) – US: CAFC: Section viii statement avoids infringement under § 271(e)(2): AstraZeneca v Apotex et al (Orange Book Blog) (Patent Docs) (IPBiz) (Patently-O)

Xalatan (Latanoprost) – Italy: Pfizer fined 10.6 M (abuse of dominant position) (PatLit) (IPKat)

Court of The Hague: Plants obtained by unpatentable processes are unpatentable too: Taste of Nature v Cresco (Patent Barista) (EPLAW)

 

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.

 

General

Global Fund Communications Director steps down (IP Watch)

WIPO – 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (Afro-IP) (IP Watch)

EU-India summit kicks off amidst warnings of impact on medicines access (IP Watch)

Will gene patents derail the next-generation of genetic technologies?: A reassessment of the evidence suggests not (Holman’s Biotech Blog)

Canada: A new battleground of innovative and generic drug manufacturers?: Supreme Court decision in Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. v Canada (Health) (IPKat)

Channel Islands: SPCs in Guernsey and Jersey (The SPC Blog)

India finally publishes a list of International Non-proprietary Names (INNs) for pharma-trademarks! (Spicy IP)

India: Controller’s decisions: summary January 2012 (Spicy IP)

Netherlands: Court of The Hague: Plants obtained by unpatentable processes are unpatentable too: Taste of Nature v Cresco (Patent Barista) (EPLAW)

Sweden: “One SPC per patent”? Not in Sweden! (The SPC Blog)

UK: MedImmune and Queensland: UK court wrestles with the meaning of Medeva and related referrals (The SPC Blog)

US: Patent awards for humanitarian ventures (BIOtechNOW)

US: FDA issues draft guidance on biosimilars (Patent Docs) (Orange Book Blog) (Pharma Patents) (FDA Law Blog) (Patent Docs)

US: Seven public health groups write to oppose the “Research Works Act” (KEI)

US: Full circle: Rush Bill (Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act) would make most patent settlement agreements unlawful (FDA Law Blog)

US: Federal Research Public Access Act would make open access to federal research mandatory (Ars Technica)

US: Reps. Rogers and Markey introduce bill to implement withdrawn pediatric medical device rule (FDA Law Blog)

US: The year of the orphan; orphan drug designations and approvals hit all-time high in 2011 (FDA Law Blog)

US: Top 5: U.S. drug patent expirations in 2012 (Part I) (Patent Quality Matters)

US: Challenges to medical device patents prominent among reexamination requests filed week of February 6, 2012 (WHDA)

US: No permanent injunction against willful infringer of direct competitor’s medical device patent: Are “on-going equitable royalties” the new normal?: Bard Peripheral Vascular v. W.L. Gore & Assoc (Patent Math) (IPBiz)

US: Wait one day, lose two days! Not free! – Roche’s US 8,110,187 (12:01 Tuesday)

 

Products

Angiomax (Bivalirudin) – US: The coda in the Angiomax symphony; approaching fine (the end) – PTO final determination that patent entitled to PTE of 1,728  days (FDA Law Blog)

Crestor (Rosuvastatin) – US: CAFC: Section viii statement avoids infringement under § 271(e)(2): AstraZeneca v Apotex et al (Orange Book Blog) (Patent Docs) (IPBiz) (Patently-O)

Desmopressin – Sweden: District Court of Stockholm stays proceedings awaiting final judgment on validity: Ferring v Medac (EPLAW)

Fluvastatin – Belgium: Supreme court upholds traditional Belgian prima facie validity test in preliminary injunction proceedings: Novartis v Mylan (EPLAW)

Nexavar (Sorafenib) – India: KEI files affidavit in India compulsory licensing case involving Bayer patents on cancer drug (KEI)

OxyContin (Oxycodone) – US: Purdue Pharma files patent infringement suit against Sandoz in response to Para IV certification (Patent Docs)

Vyvanse (Lisdexamfetamine) – US: Shire files patent infringement complaint against Mylan and Johson Matthey in response to Para IV challenge (Patent Docs)

Xalatan (Latanoprost) – Italy: Pfizer fined 10.6 M (abuse of dominant position) (PatLit) (IPKat)