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, including the programmed death-1 receptor, 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 phase 2 study of MK-3475 in patients with microsatellite unstable tumors, an article titled “Colorectal Cancer and Immunity: What We Know and Perspectives,” and an article titled “Clinical Relevance of ...