Sydney, Australia, May 17th, 2007
Following the grant of a divisional patent in Europe which effectively reinstates previously-revoked patent protection of the Fosamax (Alendronic Acid sodium) once-a-week formulation, an analysis conducted by Generic Pharmaceutical Patent Information specialists GenericsWeb reveals that a similar threat remains in Australia.
As many industry experts and observers assemble at the inaugural Generic Medicines Australia conference in Sydney, GenericsWeb today announced that it has identified key patent protection in relation to generic Alendronate that represents a serious threat to generic competitors who have launched or intend to launch generic equivalents of the Fosamax 70mg formulation for once-a-week administration in Australia.
The March 2007 grant of a European divisional patent application that is similar, but slightly narrower in scope than an earlier revoked patent, sent shock waves through the industry as the threat of further litigation was raised. Analysis of the Pipeline Selector report produced by GenericsWeb reveals that a similar situation is possible in Australia.
“In the Australian case, a divisional patent application has been identified which contains similar claims to the parent application that was revoked with the appeal being dismissed in 2006” commented Leighton Howard, Managing Director of GenericsWeb. The relevant divisional patent application is pending examination and may yet be granted with claims that protect the 70mg once-a-week dosing regimen for Alendronic Acid products according to the GenericsWeb report as per the European case.
“In the Australian case, a divisional patent application has been identified which contains similar claims to the related patent that was revoked with the appeal being dismissed in 2006” commented Leighton Howard, Managing Director of GenericsWeb. The relevant divisional patent application is pending examination and may yet be granted with claims that protect the 70mg once-a-week dosing regimen for Alendronic Acid products according to the GenericsWeb report as per the European case.
About GenericsWeb
GenericsWeb Pipeline Patent Intelligence provides unrivalled patent knowledge required to navigate your generic drug development with confidence, all at the click of a button. Established in 1999, GenericsWeb has customers in over 30 countries including legal practices, government departments, consultants and generic manufacturers. For further information about GenericsWeb Pipeline Patent Intelligence, contact Jesse Tale at j.tale@genericsweb.com tel. +61-2-98186111 or, for European and U.S. customers contact Sweta Lee at s.lee@genericsweb.com tel. +44 870 879 0081.
The website www.genericsweb.com also hosts a web portal dedicated to serving the generic pharmaceutical industry. Resources found at GenericsWeb include regularly updated news and articles, careers, business intelligence, industry links and product development services. Receive our free monthly newsletter ‘INNsight’ by registering online.
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