Amgen High Court Patent Fight Carries Big Stakes for Drugmakers

A US Supreme Court review of how broadly Amgen Inc. and other drugmakers can write their patent applications promises to reshape intellectual property protections for the pharmaceutical industry.

The case gives the justices a chance to define the scope of a patent law requirement that patents must contain enough information to enable someone with expertise in the field to make and use the invention.

An eventual decision on whether drug patents have to specify all potential antibodies that could have the same effect—or only spell out some of them to protect the entire category—will impact patent strategies and drug research ...