Hello, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. You made it this far, so why not continue, yes? Perhaps a cup or two of stimulation is in order. Our choice today is, once again, maple bourbon. And as you know, a prescription is not required. So feel free to indulge as you attack the laundry list of meetings and deadlines that await. Meanwhile, we have once again assembled a list of tidbits for you to peruse and help you on your way. Hope you have a smashing day, and, as always, do drop us a line when you hear something interesting. …
In a significant victory for AbbVie, a U.S. appeals court panel declined to revive a lawsuit that accused the company of using a so-called patent thicket to forestall competition for its Humira medication, a franchise product that generates billions of dollars in sales each year, STAT reports. The opinion shot down arguments by unions, insurers, and the city of Baltimore, which alleged that AbbVie “abused the patent system” and “erected significant barriers to entry to block biosimilar competition” by filing dozens of patents for the drug. Some of the 132 U.S. patents that the company holds on its medicine extend to 2034, although the basic patent expired in 2016.
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) unveiled a bill that aims to raise the quality of patents by targeting the examination process, according to Bloomberg News. The Patent Examination and Quality Improvement Act of 2022 would direct the U.S. Government Accountability Office to evaluate certain factors that may affect the quality of patents issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Recording examiner interviews, the assignment of patent applications to examiners, and a study of fraud in the application process would all be evaluated if the legislation is enacted.
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