T 0080/96 (L-carnitine) du 16.06.1999
- Identifiant européen de la jurisprudence
- ECLI:EP:BA:1999:T008096.19990616
- Date de la décision
- 16 juin 1999
- Numéro de l'affaire
- T 0080/96
- En ligne le
- 18 août 1999
- Requête en révision de
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- Numéro de la demande
- 90125138.9
- Classe de la CIB
- A61K 31/205
- Langue de la procédure
- Allemand
- Distribution
- Publiées au Journal officiel de l'OEB (A)
- Téléchargement
- Décision en anglais
- Autres décisions pour cet affaire
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- Résumés pour cette décision
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- Titre de la demande
- Compositions pharmaceutiques contenant de la L-carnitine
- Nom du demandeur
- LONZA AG
- Nom de l'opposant
- SIGMA-TAU INDUSTRIE FARMACEUTICHE REUNITE
- Chambre
- 3.3.02
- Sommaire
I. In the case of an active agent which is known as such to be water-soluble, it is clear to a person skilled in the art that describing and claiming the active agent as a solution does not add to or change the definition of that active agent.
II. Analogously, in a claim directed to a preparation of a known structurally defined active agent with at least one auxiliary substance, in which the feature "with an auxiliary substance or auxiliary substances" means that something is added to the active agent, the admixture of an unspecified auxiliary substance cannot, in view of the unlimited number of substances which may enter into consideration, be deemed a substantive and distinctive addition to the active agent, unless this feature, which is necessary if novelty is to be recognised, is specified in such a way that a person skilled in the art can recognise what it is that should be added to the active agent (see reason No. 4).
- Dispositions juridiques pertinentes
- European Patent Convention Art 52 1973European Patent Convention Art 56 1973European Patent Convention Art 57 1973European Patent Convention Art 54 1973European Patent Convention Art 84 1973
- Mots-clés
- Main and auxiliary requests - formally allowable - industrial applicability of the use of a substance to make a physical form under Article 57 EPC (yes)
Main request - novelty (no) - in the case of a non-defined [auxiliary] substance of unspecified effect, lack of functionality leads to lack of delimitation
Auxiliary request - inventive step (no) - obvious alternative physical form of the known substance - Exergue
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ORDER
For these reasons it is decided that:
1. The contested decision is set aside.
2. The patent is revoked.