G 0002/08 (Dosage regime/ABBOTT RESPIRATORY) du 19.02.2010

Identifiant européen de la jurisprudence

ECLI:EP:BA:2010:G000208.20100219

Date de la décision

19 février 2010

Numéro de l'affaire

G 0002/08

Requête en révision de

Numéro de la demande

94306847.8

Classe de la CIB

A61K 31/445

Langue de la procédure

Anglais

Distribution

Publiées au Journal officiel de l'OEB (A)

Téléchargement

Décision en anglais

Versions JO

Autres décisions pour cet affaire

G 0002/08 2009-06-15

Résumés pour cette décision

Titre de la demande

Nicotinic acid compositions for treating hyperlipidemia

Nom du demandeur

Abbott Respiratory LLC

Nom de l'opposant

Chambre

Sommaire

The questions referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal are answered as follows:

Question 1: Where it is already known to use a medicament to treat an illness, Article 54(5) EPC does not exclude that this medicament be patented for use in a different treatment by therapy of the same illness.

Question 2: Such patenting is also not excluded where a dosage regime is the only feature claimed which is not comprised in the state of the art.

Question 3: Where the subject matter of a claim is rendered novel only by a new therapeutic use of a medicament, such claim may no longer have the format of a so called Swiss-type claim as instituted by decision G 5/83.

A time-limit of three months after publication of the present decision in the Official Journal of the European Patent Office is set in order that future applicants comply with this new situation.

Dispositions juridiques pertinentes

Court of Appeal (UK) of 21 May 2008 in re Actavis UK Limited v. Merck & Co. Inc, (2008) EWCA Civ 444European Patent Convention Art 52(4) 1973 European Patent Convention Art 53(c)European Patent Convention Art 54(4)European Patent Convention Art 54(5)European Patent Convention Art 54(5) 1973German Federal Court of Justice: BGH, 19 December 2006, XZR 236/01 "Carvedilol IITribunal of Commerce of the Canton of Zurich, decisions of 14 April 2009, AA 090075 and AA 090077Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) Art 31Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) Art 32

Mots-clés

Admissibility of referral (yes)
Applicable law
Rules of interpretation of the EPC as an international treaty
Respective domains of prohibition under Art. 53(c) EPC and permission under Art. 54(4) and (5) EPC)
Intention of the legislator
Notional novelty concept under Art. 54(4) and (5) EPC
Meaning of any "specific use" under Art. 54(5) EPC
Technical effect of a specific use
Abolition of so called Swiss-type claims
Time limit set for applicants to comply

Exergue

Affaires citées

G 0005/83 G 0001/04 G 0001/07 T 0116/85 T 0019/86 T 0290/86 T 0182/90 T 0893/90 T 0820/92 T 0051/93 T 0082/93 T 0254/93 T 0138/95 T 0233/96 T 0836/01 T 1020/03 T 0406/06 T 1074/06

Affaires citantes

G 0003/08 G 0001/09 G 0002/12 G 0002/13 G 0001/18 G 0003/19 G 0001/21 G 0002/21 R 0012/09 R 0002/12 R 0019/12 R 0002/14 T 1319/04 T 1283/05 T 0578/06 T 0795/06 T 0826/06 T 1242/06 T 1918/06 T 0047/07 T 0294/07 T 0566/07 T 1827/07 T 1760/08 T 1838/08 T 2003/08 T 0108/09 T 1046/09 T 1075/09 T 1099/09 T 1138/09 T 1570/09 T 1627/09 T 1635/09 T 1955/09 T 0773/10 T 2369/10 T 0524/11 T 0677/11 T 1021/11 T 1069/11 T 1554/11 T 1577/11 T 1673/11 T 1760/11 T 1869/11 T 0734/12 T 1184/12 T 1780/12 T 2017/12 T 2473/12 T 2506/12 T 0177/13 T 0714/13 T 0943/13 T 1819/13 T 1889/13 T 0013/14 T 0015/14 T 0799/14 T 0899/14 T 1758/15 T 1824/15 T 0664/16 T 0694/16 T 0857/16 T 1186/16 T 2440/16 T 2707/16 T 1243/17 T 1991/17 T 0779/18 T 1287/18 T 1345/18 T 1732/18 T 0339/19 T 0634/19 T 0935/19 T 0968/19 T 1868/19 T 2360/19 T 2516/19 T 2689/19 T 2805/19 T 0468/20 T 0558/20 T 1252/20 T 1047/21 T 1356/21 T 1357/21 T 1863/21 T 0160/22 T 0295/22 T 0815/22 T 1259/22 T 1390/22 T 2012/22 T 0278/23 T 0867/23 T 1874/23 T 0197/24 T 0792/24

ORDER

For these reasons it is decided that:

The questions referred to the Enlarged Board of Appeal are answered as follows:

Question 1:

Where it is already known to use a medicament to treat an illness, Article 54(5) EPC does not exclude that this medicament be patented for use in a different treatment by therapy of the same illness.

Question 2:

Such patenting is also not excluded where a dosage regime is the only feature claimed which is not comprised in the state of the art.

Question 3:

Where the subject matter of a claim is rendered novel only by a new therapeutic use of a medicament, such claim may no longer have the format of a so called Swiss-type claim as instituted by decision G 5/83.

A time-limit of three months after publication of the present decision in the Official Journal of the European Patent Office is set in order that future applicants comply with this new situation.