The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a
district court decision finding that two patents covering
enantiomerically pure compositions of the psoriasis drug
Otezla® (apremilast) were valid and one patent covering a
dosage titration schedule was invalid as obvious. Amgen Inc. v.
Sandoz Inc. Case No. 22-1147 (Fed. Cir. Apr. 19, 2023)
(Lourie, Cunningham, Stark, JJ.)
Amgen markets apremilast, a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor that
is used for treating psoriasis and related conditions, under the
brand name Otezla®. Amgen has three patents covering
Otezla®. Two of the patents are directed to orally administered
pharmaceutical compositions of enantiomerically pure apremilast
(composition patents), and one of the patents covers a dosage
titration schedule for enantiomerically pure apremilast that ranges
from a starting dose of 10 mg to a dose of 60 mg by the sixth day
(dosage patent). Sandoz submitted an Abbreviated New Drug
Application (ANDA) seeking