Press Coverage

Press Coverage

The winners of “Munich’s outstanding companies 2023” award

On November 30, the city honored companies that have shown particularly exemplary commitment to the well-being of Munich residents with the "Munich's outstanding companies" award. We are delighted that we were able to sup...

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Digital mission statement at Maiwald

Maiwald Intellectual Property shows how hybrid and mobile collaboration can be promoted in companies. Together with Hye-Jung (Carolin) Chung and Dr. Stephanie Tremmel, occupational psychologists at ias Aktiengesellschaft and ias health & safety GmbH, a digital mission st...

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Another success for Maiwald and betapharm Arzneimittel GmbH

We are happy to report that the oppositions filed by our client betapharm and eight other generics manufacturers against Novartis patent EP 3 351 246 were successful; the Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office revoked the Novartis patent for lack of inventive step (fi...

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Novartis Fingolimod patent declared invalid by Federal Patent Court in first instance

At the end of June, the Federal Patent Court declared a Novartis patent (EP 3 143 990 B1) null and void in its entirety for lack of inventive step (file no. : 3 Ni 13/22). Novartis ma...

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LTS expands into large molecule drug delivery with the acquisition of the Sorrel wearable injection device business

Andernach, Germany - LTS LOHMANN Therapie-Systeme AG (“LTS”), a leading pharmaceutical technology company that develops and manufactures innovative drug delivery systems such as Transdermal Patches (“TTS”), Oral Thin Films (“OTF”) and Micro Array...

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Digital Mission Statement: More than a Project

Hybrid collaboration has become a part of everyday life for many companies. For this particular reason, they should encourage a digital mission statement, a healthy approach to technology, and greater digital competence.

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IP people moves and firm announcements

Below are some of the latest senior practitioner moves and firm news across the world. Readers should note that firm and practitioner news can also be found on a firm's review page. EUROPE

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Royalty Pharma and Ionis enter into Royalty Agreement for up to $1.1 Billion to further advance Ionis´ genetic medicines and commercial

• Royalty Pharma to acquire an interest in SPINRAZA® and pelacarsen royalties – Ionis retains majority of royalties and all milestones from Novartis for pelacarsen • Royalty Pharma to pay Io...

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Royalty Pharma agrees to aquire Royalty Interest in Olpasiran from Arrowhead for $250 Million and future Milestones

Olpasiran is an siRNA therapeutic being developed by Amgen to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease Arrowhead retains rights to $400 million in development, regulatory and sales milestone payments

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Royalty Pharma announces R&D Funding Collaboration with Merck

Novel collaboration structure supports pipeline innovation NEW YORK, NY, October 12, 2022 - Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) today announced that it has entered into an agreemen...

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Dissatisfied industry users push back against EPO quality measures

For years, the patent community has debated the level of quality of the patents granted by the EPO. Although the office is making continual efforts to improve, its new Patent Quality Charter has been met with resistance – according to the industry, the EPO's renewed measur...

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ECJ ruling brings clarity on the interruption of forfeiture periods

Susanna Heurung October 10, 2022 Susanna Heurung of Maiwald examines a decision by t...

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Royalty Pharma agrees to acquire Royalty Interest in Trelegy Ellipta from Theravance and Innoviva for $1.31 Billion and potential Milestones of $300 Million

• Further diversifies Royalty Pharma’s portfolio with market-leading respiratory therapy• Expected to significantly add to long-term Adjusted Cash Receipts growth (non-GAAP) NEW YORK, NY,...

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Royalty Pharma acquires Royalty interest in Gavreto from Blueprint medicines for up to $340 Million

Attractive, precision oncology therapy with long patent duration added to portfolioBlueprint Medicines to receive $175 million upfront and $165 million in potential milestone payments

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Bayer withdraws second PI in Nexavar battle against generic drug manufacturers

Stada, Zentiva and four other generic drug companies can launch their generic products after Bayer withdrew its second application for a preliminary injunction to protect its cancer drug, Nexavar. But the companies could still face a costly damages claim if the court ultimat...

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Proxygen announces strategic collaboration with Merck to develop molecular glue degraders

Proxygen, a leader in the discovery and development of molecular glue degraders, announced today that the company has entered into a strategic multi-year research collaboration and license agreement with Merck. Proxygen is eligible to receive up to €495 million ($554 milli...

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World IP Day 2022

IP and Youth: Innovating for a Better Future Across the globe, young people are stepping up to innovation challenges, using their energy and ingenuity, their curiosity and creativity to steer a course tow...

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EPO upholds Berkeley divisional CRISPR patent

"The EPO Opposition Division has upheld a CRISPR/Cas9 patent belonging to the University of California (Berkeley), University of Vienna, and Emmanuelle Charpentier, following a 15-hour hearing. However, it is just one in a multiple-patent family subject to recent EPO proceed...

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Maiwald strengthens team with Isenbruck SPC specialist

"Mixed German IP firm Maiwald has strengthened its team with SPC expert Ulrike Herr. She joined in February from Isenbruck Bösl Hörschler, whose Munich office recently disbanded due to a string of departures. Ulrike Herr...

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Royalty Pharma and Cytokinetics announce Funding Agreements totaling up to $450 million

Royalty Pharma Extends Capital to Cytokinetics to Support the Commercial Launch of Omecamtiv Mecarbil and the Further Development of AficamtenRoyalty Pharma Purchases Royalties on Future Sales of Aficamten

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Royalty Pharma acquires additional Royalty Interests in BCX9930 and Orladeyo from Biocryst Pharmaceuticals

Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX), BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) and OMERS Capital Markets (OMERS) today announced transactions totaling $350 million in new funding for BioCryst, with all funds immediately available at closing.

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Mandanten für die Zukunft rüsten, 2021

A European Unitary Patent and a Unified Patent Court: The EU aims to create a European Unitary Patent with uniform effect in all member states of the European Union. There are still political and legal debates, but no one doubts that the EU Unitary Patent will come one day.

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G 1/21: EPO Confirms Video Conferencing Compatible With EPC

Today, the EPO Enlarged Board of Appeal has handed down its first order in the high-profile G 1/21 case regarding video conferencing. A press communiqué published on the EPO website confirms that compulsory video conferencing is admissible in appeal proceedings under the Eu...

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Billion-Dollar Partnership: Morphosys Takes Over Us Pharmaceutical Company With Skadden and Unusual Financing

The biotech company Morphosys positions itself for further growth in the USA with an acquisition worth billions. The Bavarian pharmaceutical enterprise buys the US biotech company Constellation Pharmaceuticals, which specialises in cancer therapies, as Morphosys announced. T...

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Royalty Pharma Announces $2.025 Billion Strategic Funding Partnership With Morphosys

Royalty Pharma to provide tailored funding solution to enable MorphoSys’ acquisition of Constellation PharmaceuticalsInvestment is anchored by royalties on Janssen’s TremfyaPartnership also includes royalties on four development-stage therapies, De...

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German Patent Firm Alliance Opposes Compulsory Video Oral Proceedings

In May, the Enlarged Board of Appeal will hear a case on the lawfulness of conducting oral proceedings by compulsory video conference in case G1/21. Companies, professional associations and patent attorneys have filed 22 amicus curiae briefs on the issue. Among them, an alli...

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Curevac’s Corona Vaccine

CureVac is currently developing a vaccine against the coronavirus, CV-nCoV. The biopharmaceutical company is expanding a broad integrated European production network, with experienced contract development and manufacturing organisation, in order to produce the vaccine. Marco...

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Medtron AG Acquires Patents for Angiographic Syringes

Medtron AG has acquired various patents for angiographic syringes from Pérouse Médical S.A.S. in an asset deal to complement its portfolio as one of Europe's leading manufacturers of state-of-the-art contrast agent injectors. Furthermore, various supplementary supply ...

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Dicerna to Receive $180 Million Upfront and up to $60 Million in Potential Additional Milestone Payments (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) (“Royalty Pharma”) and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRNA) (“Dicerna”) today announced that Royalty Pharma has acquired Dicerna’s royalty interest in OXLUMO™ (lumasiran) for an upfront cash payment of $180 million and up...

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Royalty Pharma Acquires Royalty Interest in Cabozantinib From Gsk (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) today announced that it has acquired a royalty interest in the cabozantinib products Cabometyx and Cometriq from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for an upfront payment of $342 million and up to $50 million in additional payments contingent on the achi...

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Sirion Biotech announces collaboration and licence agreement with Sanofi

Sirion Biotech announces a collaboration and license agreement with Sanofi to develop gene therapy treatments with improved adeno-associated virus capsids Sirion Biotech, a world leader in viral vector-based gene delivery ...

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What is Horizon Europe about? (2021)

by Dr Marco Stief und Dr Eva Ehlich

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Royalty Pharma acquires royalty interest in Seltorexant from Minerva Neurosciences (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) and Minerva Neurosciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: NERV) today announced that Royalty Pharma will acquire Minerva’s royalty interest in seltorexant for an upfront payment of $60 million and up to $95 million in additional milestone payments.

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Patent(e) Sicherheit in unsicheren Zeiten, 2021

by Dr Eva Dörner, Susanna Heurung,

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Legal problems of the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products

GRUR-Int published a book review on Marco Stief’s book about current issues surrounding the scope of protection offered by SPCs.

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Assignment of Phoma Macrostoma Patents to Evologic Technologies

Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Canadian Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food (“AAFC”) and Evologic Technologies GmbH have entered into an assignment and licence agreement regarding the Phoma macrostoma technology.

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Royalty Pharma acquires royalty interest in Orladeyo and BCX9930 from Biocryst Pharmaceuticals (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma (Nasdaq: RPRX), BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) and Athyrium Capital Management, LP today announced transactions totaling $325 million in funding for BioCryst, with $250 million available at closing, to sup...

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Boehringer Ingelheim Collaborates with Proxygen to Explore Molecular Glue Degraders – a Novel Approach to Fight Cancer (Proxygen)

Boehringer Ingelheim and Proxygen today announced they have entered into a collaboration and license agreement to enable the identification of molecular glue degraders against various oncogenic targets. The collaboration combines Proxygen’s unique molecular glue degrader d...

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Royalty Pharma acquires additional royalty interest from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) announced today an agreement to acquire the residual royalty interest in Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s cystic fibrosis (CF) treatments owned by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The agreement includes...

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Amcure and Hinova Pharmaceuticals Enter Into an Exclusive License Agreement for the Development, Manufacturing and Commercialization of amc303 in Oncology in the Greater China Region

amcure GmbH, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class cancer therapeutics, and Hinova Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Chengdu, China), one of the fastest growing start-up drug discovery and development companies in China, entered into an exclusive license agreement for AM...

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Royalty Pharma and Biohaven Announce Funding Agreement Totaling up to $450 Million (Royalty Pharma)

​​​​​​Biohaven will receive up to $250 million to fund zavegepant’s development in migraine and non-migraine indicationsRoyalty Pharma to acquire up to a 3% royalty for zavegepant, a 0.4% royalty of NurtecTM ...

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Royalty Pharma Acquires Royalty Interest in Risdiplam From PTC Therapeutics (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma plc (Nasdaq: RPRX) announced today an agreement with PTC Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: PTCT) to acquire a portion of PTC’s royalty interest in risdiplam for a one-time payment of $650 million. Risdiplam, to ...

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Federal Court of Justice Destroys Spc for Gilead Blockbuster Drug Truvada (JUVE-Patent)

Gilead has now also failed to protect its HIV blockbuster drug Truvada in Germany, in the Europe-wide dispute over its property rights. The German Federal Court of Justice declared its supplementary protection certificate void (case ID: X ZR 172/18). The decision is a severe...

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Santen Judgment Raises Questions Over Whether Spc Regulation Is Fit for Purpose (IAM)

Life sciences innovators in Europe are no longer entitled to patent term extension rights for new indications of drugs previously approved for other uses, following last week’s Santen judgment in which the CJEU in effect overturned its own 2012 decision in Neurim.

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Royalty Pharma Acquires Rights to Agios’ Royalty on IDHIFA® Worldwide Net Sales and Outstanding Regulatory Milestone Payments (Royalty Pharma)

June 12, 2020 Royalty Pharma and Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: AGIO), a leader in the field of cellular metabolism to treat cancer and rare genetic diseases announced that Agios has sold its tiered, sales-based roya...

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CJEU clarifies the conditions for SPC grant in Royalty Pharma (C-650/17, Royalty Pharma) (Kluwer Patent Blog)

The “core inventive advance” of the basic patent has no relevance for Article 3(a) of the SPC Regulation With the rendering of the

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European Patent Office Upholds UC Berkeley CRISPR Patent (UCBerkeleyNews)

The European Patent Office has upheld one of the CRISPR patents shared by molecular cell and biology professor Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier of the University of Vienna. The decision reflected their rejection of arguments made by anonymous parties. "It is gratif...

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University of California wins CRISPR-Cas opposition case at EPO (JUVE-Patent)

The Broad Institute has recently failed to protect its CRISPR-Cas patent before the Boards of Appeal. Now the European Patent Office has maintained a rival's basic patent for the same technology. The opponents are likely to appeal.

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Rejecting Broad Institute Opposition, EPO Affirms CRISPR Patent Issued to Charpentier, UC, and U. Vienna (GEN)

The European Patent Office (EPO) has affirmed a patent issued to CRISPR pioneer Emmanuelle Charpentier, PhD, the Regents of the University of California, and the University of Vienna covering the single-guide CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system—rejecting arguments filed in opp...

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University of California gains ground after EPO backs CRISPR patent (lsipr)

In a victory for the University of California, the European Patent Office (EPO) has affirmed a CRISPR patent issued to Emmanuelle Charpentier, the University of California, and the University of Vienna. The patent, Europea...

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Ultragenyx Announces Sale of Future European Royalties on Crysvita® (burosumab) for $320 Million to Royalty Pharma (Royalty Pharma & Ultragenyx)

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel products for rare and ultra-rare diseases, and Royalty Pharma today announced that Ultragenyx has sold to Royalty Pharma for $320 million a royalty right due to Ultragenyx fro...

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AstraZeneca appeal rejected in generics-favourable decision (JUVE-Patent)

Second medical use is currently a hot topic in pharmaceutical patents. In the dispute over the breast cancer drug containing the active ingredient fulvestrant, the generics manufacturers have landed a further victory. Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court yesterday dismissed Ast...

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Generics manufacturers prevail over Hogan Lovells client MSD (JUVE-Patent)

Various generics manufacturers have won in the second instance in the dispute over supplementary protection certificates for cholesterol-lowering drug Inegy. The Higher Regional Court Düsseldorf dismissed the appeal of US originator Merck Sharp Dome (MSD) (case IDs: I-2 U 5...

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Open letter suggests EPO patent quality problem (JUVE-Patent)

Allegations that the European Patent Office’s efficiency strategy is resulting in a decline in patent quality have been brewing for some time. Now, in an open letter to the current president Benoît Battistelli and his designated successor, António Campinos, the law firms...

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Clearing the Cobwebs: New Management at the EPO (JUVE-Patent)

After the Battistelli era there is a new broom at the European Patent Office. The former president left a legacy of deep distrust of the leadership on the part of the workforce. The debate about the quality of the patents being granted by the EPO continues to rage. The new m...

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Administrative Council adopts Campinos’ new EPO strategy (JUVE-Patent)

The European Patent Office has formulated a new vision for the next five years. A new EPO strategy was adopted by the office's 38 member states yesterday during the latest meeting of the Administrative Council. The strategy of President António Campinos has five goals: Empo...

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Royalty Pharma Announces $100 million Acquisition of Royalty Rights in cardiovascular drug Omecamtiv Mecarbil from Cytokinetics (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma Buys 4.5 Percent Royalty on Worldwide Sales for $90 Million Plus $10 Million Equity in Cytokinetics. Cytokinetics Agrees to Exercise Option to Co-Fund Phase 3 Development Program Under Collabora...

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Arteaus Therapeutics Sells Emgality Royalty for $260 Million (Royalty Pharma)

Royalty Pharma and Arteaus Therapeutics, a biotechnology development company co-founded by Atlas Venture and OrbiMed, announced today that Arteaus has sold its royalty interest on future global net sales of Eli Lilly and Company’s (NYSE: LLY) Emgality (galcanezumab), an an...

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Royalty Pharma Announces Agreement to Purchase Future Royalties on Tazemetostat from Eisai for $330 Million and a $100 Million Initial Investment in Epizyme (Royalty Pharma)

Pharmakon Funds to Invest Up to $70 Million in Senior-Secured Loans to Epizyme. Royalty Pharma announced today that it has agreed to pay $330 million to purchase Eisai Co., Ltd.’s royalties on future worldwide s...

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Even “smaller” ideas are worth protecting

by Dr Eva Dörner and Alexander Ortlieb

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Team building, budget management and Brexit preparations: lessons from TMAP 2019 (WTR)

The annual Trademark Administrators and Practitioners (TMAP) meeting of INTA took place this year for the first time in Europe. The event presented a number of important approaches on trademark management and team building.

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Courts suspend proceedings in Brahms Radiometer case (Juve-Patent)

The dispute over a basic patent owned by medical technology manufacturer Brahms has taken a new turn. The Regional Courts Munich and Düsseldorf have suspended the pending infringement proceedings. Now everything hinges on a validity ruling from the Federal Court of Justice....

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Beckman Coulter victorious in diagnostics technology dispute (Juve-Patent)

Düsseldorf Regional Court has ruled that the German part of US manufacturer Beckman Coulter's patent (case ID: 4c O 88/17) is infringed by Sysmex. The dispute concerns diagnostics technology for laboratories. An opposition case before the EPO was withdrawn prior to the hear...

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Success for Brahms as Radiometer’s nullity suit dismissed (Juve-Patent)

Patent holder Brahms has won the next round in the long-standing dispute over procedures for detecting infections. The Federal Patent Court has dismissed a nullity suit from Radiometer (case ID: 3 Ni 16/17) The current dis...

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Germany – District Court lifts several ex-parte preliminary injunctions granted for Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp. (The SPC Blog)

Recently, the District Court in Düsseldorf lifted several ex-parte preliminary injunctions granted for Merck Sharpe & Dohme Corp. (MSD) against various generic companies. Subject of the proceedings is the cholesterol-lowering combination product Inegy®. Inegy® is a fi...

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Analgesics: Rospatt and Maiwald win partial victory for Mundipharma in dispute over Targin (Juve)

Mundipharma has achieved a first success in defending the patent on its Targin analgesic. The Regional Court of Munich granted interim injunctions against several generics manufacturers. Targin is the top-selling pharmaceutical product of Limburg-based Mundipharma, which obt...

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HIV medication – numerous patent lawyers lend their support in dispute concerning Truvada (Juve)

Seven manufacturers of pharmaceuticals may for the time being continue marketing their generic products based on the HIV drug Truvada in Germany. The Regional Court of Munich rejected the applications of the US pharma concern Gilead for interim injunctions against Aliud, Bet...

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Disclaimer dispute: Maiwald helps to secure a landmark decision for US universities (Juve)

The law is actually very clear about the circumstances under which applicants may still change the claimed scope of protection of an application in the course of a grant procedure. But there are always exceptions, and the Appeal Boards of the European Patent Office have in t...

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CJEU Referral: Hope for more legal security regarding supplementary protection certificates (Juve)

Is it required that an active or an exact active combination is explicitly mentioned in the underlying patent, in order to allow a supplementary protection certificate (SPC)? This question has been differently answered within Europe since the ‚Medeva‘ decision of the Eur...

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Gilead’s SPC for Truvada nullified by the Federal Patent Court (The SPC Blog)

The supplementary protection certificate of the US pharma company Gilead, which covers the active agent combination of the HIV medicament TRUVADA®, was nullified by the German Federal Patent Court (file no. 4 NI 12/17). Maiwald successfully represented the British generic p...

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Open Letter: Patent law firms see quality problems with the EPO (Juve)

Out of concern for the quality of patent granting by the European Patent Office (EPO), four law firms have addressed an open letter to the current president Benoît Battistelli and his designated successor António Campinos. Signing senders are lawyers of Grünecker, Hoffman...

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Patents: Ratiopharm and Hexal change the situation in the dispute about second medical use claims (Juve)

The so-called second medical use of medicaments is currently one of the most important topics in European patent law. The Düsseldorf Regional Court has issued an important decision in this regard in the judicial procedure of Astra Zeneca against Ratiopharm and Hexal. Accord...

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Reviewed: Court revises own order at expense of Hogan Lovells client (Juve)

Numerous generics manufacturers are now allowed to sell their imitator preparations of the cholesterol-lowering drug Inegy in Germany. The Düsseldorf Regional Court overturned a preliminary injunction (Case No. 4b O37/18 to 4b O43/18) by which it had banned the sale of gene...

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The pendulum swings back (JUVE-Patent)

Many had expected a rough start for António Campinos after the Battistelli era. This proved to be true. Just as the new President of the European Patent Office took up his job, four Munich patent firms wrote an open letter criticising problems at the EPO. The new buzzword i...

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