Case: Patents/Anticipation & Obviousness (P.T.A.B.)

Challenged claims of the Johns Hopkins University’s patent directed to anti-cancer therapies that block immune system checkpoints in cancer patients are unpatentable as anticipated by and obvious over prior art, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board said, in an inter partes review by Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC. The board determined that the challenged claims are anticipated by and obvious over various combinations of prior art, including a clinical trial titled “Study of MK-3475 in Patients With Microsatellite Unstable Tumors,” an article titled “Clinical Relevance of Microsatellite Instability in Colorectal Cancer,” and an article titled “Immune Escape and Survival Mechanisms ...