Patent Baristas

The Law of Karma states that “for every event that occurs, there will follow another event whose existence was caused by the first, and this second event will be pleasant or unpleasant according as its cause was skillful or unskillful.’ Apparently Merck has decided to create some karma of its own, deciding that it has […]

I’m really quite disturbed by a recent Federal Circuit decision which held that method claims can be infringed if the method is performed abroad, so long as “components of the method” are exported from the US. See Union Carbide v. Shell Oil Co. (Fed. Cir. 2005). This case is so wrong that I don’t know […]

On Friday, Merck & Co.’s Zocor (simvastatin) will lose U.S. patent protection, and health plans are aggressively trying to promote low-cost generic versions of the drug for patients who don’t require a major cut in their cholesterol levels. The makers of Lipitor, Crestor and Vytorin will be battling more fiercely. You may have already noticed […]

Decision Resources, Inc., one of the world’s leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, came out with a press release today announcing that that Neurochem’s Alzhemed (tramiprosate) and Myriad Genetics’ Flurizan (R-flurbiprofen) will account for nearly 60% of the market to treat Alzheimer’s disease by 2015. Both drugs have shown promise in […]

The Baristas are pleased to announce that Professor David Hricik from Mercer University School of Law will be a guest Barista on this site, contributing in the area of IP ethics on a regular basis. David receieved his B.A. in 1984 from the University of Arizona and his J.D. in 1988 from Northwestern University Law […]

I will be at the ABA’s Intellectual Property Law Summer Conference in Boston from June 21-24. If you’d like to take time to meet next week, drop me a line and we’ll arrange a meeting at the Marriott Copley Place Hotel. I’ll be there chatting with fellow bloggers over a cup o’ joe at the […]

Barr Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has agreed to settle litigation claims made by Novartis AG units Invamed Inc and Apothecon Inc. related to the raw material source in blood thinner Warfarin Sodium. Warfarin is a generic version of Coumadin, which is designed to reduce the threat of blood clots. Under the terms of the agreement, the Company […]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced new steps to strengthen existing protections against the growing problem of counterfeit drugs. The measures, which were recommended in a report by the agency’s Counterfeit Drug Task Force, emphasize certain regulatory actions and the use of new technologies for safeguarding the integrity of the U.S. drug supply. […]