A niche blog dedicated to the issues that arise when supplementary protection certificates (SPCs) extend patents beyond their normal life -- and to the respective positions of patent owners, investors, competitors and consumers. The blog also addresses wider issues that may be of interest or use to those involved in the extension of patent rights. You can email The SPC Blog here

Tuesday 28 January 2020

The AG's opinion in Santen


Thanks to Nick Fischer at Marks & Clerk law for being first to alert the blog to the AG Opinion in Santen (C-673/18) which was handed down last week. 
The official English translation isn’t available yet, but it looks like the AG favours a strict literal meaning of Article 3(d) (i.e. going against Neurim). 
Nick comments (and the blog agrees based on Google translate!) that there is also a suggestion that, if the CJEU does want to follow Neurim, it should allow SPCs for new therapeutic indications or for uses of the same active which have a pharmaceutical, immunological or metabolic action of their own. 



The Opinion is available here.