Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd. v. Apotex, Inc.

• Decision Date: 11 July 2007
• Docket Number: No. 2006-1564.,2006-1564.
• Citation: 501 F.3d 1254
• Parties: DAIICHI SANKYO CO., LTD. (formerly known as Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) and Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. (formerly known as Daiichi Pharmaceutical Corporation), Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. APOTEX, INC. and Apotex Corp., Defendants-Appellants.
• Court: U.S. Court of Appeals — Federal Circuit

501 F.3d 1254

DAIICHI SANKYO CO., LTD. (formerly known as Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.) and Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. (formerly known as Daiichi Pharmaceutical Corporation), Plaintiffs-Appellees, v. APOTEX, INC. and Apotex Corp., Defendants-Appellants.

No. 2006-1564.

United States Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit.

Nonprecedential Opinion Issued: July 11, 2007.

Precedential Opinion Issued: September 12, 2007.

Brian P. Murphy, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, of New York, NY, argued for plaintiffs-appellees. With him on the brief were David Leichtman, Daniel Murphy, and Oren D. Langer. Of counsel on the brief was James P. Flynn, Epstein, Becker & Green, PC, of Newark, NJ.

Robert B. Breisblatt, Welsh & Katz, Ltd., of Chicago, IL, argued for defendants-appellants. With him on the brief were A. Sidney Katz, Julie A. Katz, Philip D. Segrest, Jr., and Michael A. Krol, Of counsel on the brief was Steven Gerber, Adorno & Yoss, LLP, of Wayne, NJ.

Before MICHEL, Chief Judge, ARCHER, Senior Circuit Judge, and DYK, Circuit Judge.

ARCHER, Senior Circuit Judge.

Apotex, Inc. and Apotex Corp. (collectively "Apotex") appeal the judgment of the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey that Apotex infringes U.S. Pat. No. 5,401,741 ("the '741 patent") and that the '741 patent is not invalid or unenforceable. Daiichi Pharm. Co. v. Apotex, Inc., 441 F.Supp.2d 672 (D.N.J.2006) ("Validity Determination"). Because the invention of the '741 patent would have been obvious in view of the prior art, we reverse.

I

The '741 patent is drawn to a method for treating bacterial ear infections by topically administering the antibiotic ofloxacin into the ear.¹ Claim 1 is representative and states "[a] method for treating otopathy which comprises the topical otic administration of an amount of ofloxacin or a salt thereof effective to treat otopathy in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier to the area affected with otopathy." '741 Patent, col.6 ll.36-39.

Apotex filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application ("ANDA") seeking approval to manufacture a generic ofloxacin ear drop, including a ¶ IV certification that the '741 patent was invalid and/or not infringed. Following receipt of the ANDA, Daiichi, owner of the '741 patent, sued Apotex for infringement. Following a Markman hearing, the district court construed the claim term "effective to treat" as "efficacious and safe." Based on this construction and following a bench trial, the court concluded that the '741 patent was not invalid. The court also found that Daiichi did not intend to deceive the Patent and Trademark Office during prosecution of the '741 patent. Finally, because Apotex stipulated that the subject matter of its ANDA fell within the scope of the claims of the '741 patent, the court found that Apotex infringed the '741 patent.

Apotex appeals, and we have jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1295(a)(1).

II

Obviousness is a question of law based on underlying questions of fact. Winner Int'l Royalty Corp. v. Wang, 202 F.3d 1340, 1348 (Fed.Cir.2000). Thus, we review the ultimate determination of obviousness by a district court de novo and the underlying factual inquiries for clear error. Id.

The underlying factual inquiries in an obviousness analysis include: "(1) the scope and content of the prior art; (2) the level of ordinary skill in the prior art; (3) the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art; and (4) objective evidence of nonobviousness." In re Dembiczak, 175 F.3d 994, 998 (Fed.Cir.1999). In this case, we begin our analysis with the question of the level of ordinary skill in the prior art.

The district court concluded that the ordinary person skilled in the art pertaining to the '741 patent "would have a medical degree, experience treating patients with ear infections, and knowledge of the pharmacology and use of antibiotics. This person would be ... a pediatrician or general practitioner—those doctors who are often the `first line of defense' in treating ear infections and who, by virtue of their medical training, possess basic pharmacological knowledge." Daiichi Pharm. Co. v. Apotex, Inc., 380 F.Supp.2d 478, 485 (D.N.J.2005) ("Claim Construction Order"). Apotex argues that the district court clearly erred in this determination and that one having ordinary skill in the relevant art is properly defined as "a person engaged in developing new pharmaceuticals, formulations and treatment methods, or a specialist in ear treatments such as an otologist, otolaryngologist, or otorhinolaryngologist who also has training in pharmaceutical formulations."

"Factors that may be considered in determining level of ordinary skill in the art include: (1) the educational level of the inventor; (2) type of problems encountered in the art; (3) prior art solutions to those problems; (4) rapidity with which innovations are made; (5) sophistication of the technology; and (6) educational level of active workers in the field." Envtl. Designs, Ltd. v. Union Oil Co., 713 F.2d 693, 696 (Fed.Cir.1983) (citing Orthopedic Equip. Co. v. All Orthopedic Appliances, Inc., 707 F.2d 1376, 1381-82 (Fed.Cir. 1983)). These factors are not exhaustive but are merely a guide to determining the level of ordinary skill in the art.

In making its determination regarding the level of skill in the art, the district court noted that the parties had provided "little more than conclusory arguments concerning this issue in their briefs " As a result, the court looked to other decisions involving patents for a method of treating a physical condition for guidance. Only one case cited by the district court is binding on us, Merck & Co. v. Teva Pharm. USA, Inc., 347 F.3d 1367 (Fed.Cir.2003). The district court was correct that in that case we affirmed the trial court's conclusion that a person having ordinary skill in the relevant art was a person having a medical degree, experience treating patients with osteoporosis, and knowledge of the pharmacology and usage of biphosponates—the compounds at issue in Merck. However, in Merck the level of skill in the art was not disputed by the parties. Thus, we simply accepted the district court's finding. That clearly is not the case before us. Therefore, the district court's reliance on the level of skill in the art stated in Merck was improper.

The art involved in the '741 patent is the creation of a compound to treat ear infections without damaging a patient's hearing. The inventors of the '741 patent were specialists in drug and ear treatments—not general practitioners or pediatricians. At the time of the invention, Inventor Sato was a university professor specializing in otorhinolaryngology; Inventor Handa was a clinical development department manager at Daiichi, where he was involved with new drug development and clinical trials; and Inventor Kitahara was a research scientist at Daiichi engaged in the research and development of antibiotics. Additionally, others working in the same field as the inventors of the '741 patent were of the same skill level. See Daiichi Material for [C]onference on Development, at 1 (Nov. 11, 1987) (stating that "there are many voices among medical persons concerned with otorhinolaryngology for demanding development of an otic solution making use of [ofloxacin]").

Further, the problem the invention of the '741 patent was trying to solve was to create a topical antibiotic compound to treat ear infections (otopathy) that did not have damage to the ear as a side effect. '741 Patent, col.1 ll.23-34. Indeed, most of the written description details the inventors' testing ofloxacin on guinea pigs and their findings that ototoxicity did not result from the use of their compound. Such animal testing is traditionally outside the realm of a general practitioner or pediatrician. Finally, while a general practitioner or pediatrician could (and would) prescribe the invention of the '741 patent to treat ear infections, he would not have the training or knowledge to develop the claimed compound absent some specialty training such as that possessed by the '741 patent's inventors. Accordingly, the level of ordinary skill in the art of the '741 patent is that of a person engaged in developing pharmaceutical formulations and treatment methods for the ear or a...