Almirall Loses Appeal on Acne Treatment Patent at Fed. Cir.

Almirall LLC’s claims of a patent relating to methods for treating acne are invalid because they would be obvious to someone skilled in the field, the Federal Circuit ruled.

The Patent Trial and Appeal Board didn’t err in finding that some claims of Almirall LLC‘s patent were obvious and its determination was supported by enough evidence, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in a precedential opinion.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals LLC had petitioned the board for review of Almirall’s U.S. Patent No. 9,517,219, which covers methods for treating acne containing a certain thickening agent, claiming ...