Patent Baristas

The U.S. Supreme Court will vote today whether to accept for review Zoltek Corporation v. United States, No. 06-1155. Pharmaceuticals, defense and manufacturing companies are closely watching the case, which centers on the types of protections, if any, that are available to a patent-holder whose inventions have been infringed by the Federal Government or its […]

The Analysis Group released a report on the impact of authorized generic entry on paragraph IV certifications. The report, “Do Authorized Generic Drugs Deter Paragraph IV Certifications?,” was co-authored by academic affiliate Professor Ernst R. Berndt of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Analysis Group Vice President Richard Mortimer, and Managing Principal Andrew Parece. In looking […]

Brazil decided to break the patent on the HIV drug Storcrin (the brand name for efavirenz), becoming the second country to challenge the pharmaceutical industry in seeking a drastic reductions in drug costs. Brazil’s President signed a compulsory licence for efavirenz to purchase from generic suppliers under provisions permitted by World Trade Organization rules. Brazil […]

While the practice of savings seeds after a harvest to plant the next season is as old as farming itself, farmers have found that patent laws count in the end. In Monsanto v. McFarling (05-1570, -1598), Monsanto went after the farmer for breaching a technology agreement over genetically modified crops that resist glyphosphate herbicide. Upon […]

The Antitrust Review blog reported that the Solicitor General’s Office submitted a brief to the Supreme Court urging the Court to deny certiorari in the reverse payment case Joblove v. Barr Labs (S.Ct. No. 06-830). Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked for the government’s views on the antitrust effects of settlement agreements between holders of […]

Hal Wegner at Foley & Lardner circulated a note about a letter by Chief Justice Paul Michel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Hal writes: One of the two most divisive points ripping apart patent reform legislation is the ever more contentious debate over apportionment of damages, as witnessed by […]

What Is It? Camargo Pharmaceutical Services is offering a one-day training workshop to help those without drug expertise understand the basic aspects of drug discovery; drug effects, clinical development and testing of drugs; bioanalytical chemistry, and drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion in the body. Who Should Attend? This course is designed for people working […]

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit smacked down Pfizer’s bid to get the court to reconsider a March 22 ruling that the patent on its hypertension drug Norvasc was invalid. See Pfizer v. Apotex (06-1261). The earlier ruling allowed Mylan Labs to make a generic version of Norvasc. Mylan entered the market […]