Carlson Caspers partners Mark Schuman and Sam Lockner attended the Annual GPhA Conference in Orlando Florida

Last week, Carlson Caspers was represented at the GPhA Conference. Partners Mark Schuman and Sam Lockner attended the 2013 Generic Pharmacuetical Association’s (GPhA) Annual Meeting in Orlando Florida from February 20-23, 2013. According to the GPhA’s website: [vision_pullquote style=”3″ align=”center”] The Generic Pharmaceutical Association (GPhA) is the nation’s leading trade association for manufacturers and distributors of…

Lead Compound Requirement: Not so rigid after all?

On February 11, 2013, the District Court of Delaware ruled that U.S. Patent No. 5,206,244 patent to entecavir (the active ingredient in Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Baraclude, which treats hepatitis B viral infections) is invalid for obviousness. This case marks the first instance where a court has invalidated a molecule patent based on obviousness. The lead compound…

A Claim Construction Lesson – Be Careful What You Ask For

A recent case is a reminder of a claim construction lesson that all litigants should keep in mind. Last Friday, Novartis AG’s Alcon Inc. subsidiary asked the Supreme Court to reverse a Federal Circuit decision in favor of Apotex relating to Alcon’s Patanol (olopatadine) ophthalmic formulation. The case is interesting because of its unusual procedural…

Supreme Court Patent Exhaustion Case Could Affect Biopharmaceuticals

A Supreme Court patent exhaustion case could affect biopharmaceuticals. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Bowman v. Monsanto Co. (Docket No. 11-796), a case that may narrow patentees’ rights in self-replicating technologies. The self-replicating technology at issue in Bowman is genetically modified seeds, but it is not difficult to imagine broader implications…