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ARTICLE · 01 DECEMBER 2017

Secondary Considerations Transformed Into Rebuttal Evidence

Addressing the issue of prima facie obviousness, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's ruling that evidence of secondary considerations failed to overcome...

United StatesIntellectual Property

Addressing the issue of prima facie obviousness, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court's ruling that evidence of secondary considerations failed to overcome a strong showing of obviousness. Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Hospira, Inc., Case No. 17-1115 (Fed. Cir., Oct. 26, 2017) (Lourie, J) (Newman, J, dissenting).

Merck owns a patent directed to a process for preparing a degradation-free formulation of the antibiotic ertapenem. The claimed process involves mixing ertapenem in a carbon dioxide solution having a pH between 6.0 and 9.0 with a temperature between -3°C and 15°C. The combined solution is then lyophilized to obtain the final formulation. Merck sued Hospira for infringement of the patent based on Hospira's filing of an abbreviated new drug application (ANDA).

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