PTAB invalidates two of Teva's Copaxone patents

In an inter partes review (IPR) proceeding, the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidated all 20 claims in each of two patents covering a thrice-weekly formulation of multiple sclerosis treatment Copaxone glatiramer acetate from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA). PTAB instituted a review of the patents last year following an IPR challenge from Mylan N.V. (NASDAQ:MYL) (see BioCentury Extra, Aug. 26, 2015).

Teva has five Orange Book-listed patents protecting thrice-weekly Copaxone. Both invalidated patents -- U.S. Patents Nos. 8,232,250 and 8,399,413 -- expire in 2030. PTAB struck down both patents based on the same prior art, saying that a person of ordinary skill would have been able to modify Copaxone's dosing schedule to the thrice-weekly dosage protected by the patents. ...