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Exhibit 1024
`
`Coalition For Affordable Drugs XI LLC
`Exhibit 1024
`Coalition For Affordable Drugs XI LLC v Insys Pharma, Inc.
`IPR2015-01800
`
`

`
`Attorney Docket No. INTH-001/01US 308548-2014
`
`PATENT
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`In Re Application of:
`
`KOTTAYIL, S.
`George, et al.
`
`Confirmation No.1
`
`4756
`
`Application No.:
`
`1 1/698,739
`
`Group Art Unit:
`
`1646
`
`Filed:
`
`January 25, 2007
`
`Examiner:
`
`WEGERT, Sandra L.
`
`FOR:
`
`SUBLINGUAL FENTANYL SPRAY
`
`Mail Stop AMENDMENT
`Commissioner for Patents
`P . O. Box 145 0
`
`Alexandria, VA 22313 -1450
`
`REPLY UNDER 37 C.F.R. § 1.111
`
`SIR:
`
`Responsive to the non—final Office Action mailed May 2, 2011, Applicants respectfully
`
`request reconsideration of the present application in View of the following remarks.
`
`Remarks begin on page 2 of this paper.
`
`137631 V2/DC
`
`

`
`Attorney Docket No. INTII-001/01US 308548-2014
`Application No. ll/698,739
`
`REMARKS
`
`1.
`
`Status of the Claims
`
`Claims 1-8, 10-29 and 31-143 are pending in the present application. Claims 5-8, 12-19,
`
`24-29 and 33-138 are withdrawn.
`
`II.
`
`Rejection Under 35 USC § 112, Second Paragraph
`
`Claims 1-4, 10, 11, 20-23, 31, 32 and 139-143 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. § 112, second
`
`paragraph, as allegedly being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim
`
`the subject matter which applicant regards as the invention. Office Action at pp. 3-4. Applicants
`
`respectfully traverse on the ground that the present claims are in no way unclear or indefinite,
`
`and describe explicitly the metes and bounds of the claimed invention.
`
`The Examiner alleges that “the independent claims recite that the discrete liquid droplets
`
`must have a mean diameter of at least about 10 microns. Additional claims recite ‘2O microns,’
`
`‘5-500 microns,’ or ‘l0-200 microns.’ The claims are indefinite in that it is unclear how to
`
`achieve that particle size using the formulation specified. Similarly, the claims are indefinite in
`
`that it is unclear how the recited particle size relates to the effective concentrations recited, or
`
`how a particular droplet size contributes to a particular recited Cmax.” Office Action at p. 4.
`
`With regard to the Exarniner’s assertion that “[t]he claims are indefinite in that it is
`
`unclear how to achieve [the recited] particle size using the formulation specified” (supra),
`
`Applicants respectfully submit that the present specification explicitly and exhaustively describes
`
`how to achieve the presently claimed droplets sizes, and provides examples of various droplet
`
`sizes, size distributions as a function of various parameters, and measurement and validation of
`
`the same, etc. See, e. g., Examples 13 and 14 at paragraphs [0233]-[O243]; see also paragraphs
`
`[0266]-[O297]. Accordingly, it is not clear how the present claims can be construed as indefinite
`
`in View of the extensive disclosure of how to generate the claimed droplet sizes, explicit
`
`examples of generating the claimed droplet sizes, and development and Validation of methods for
`
`measuring droplet sizes.
`
`137631 v2/DC
`
`

`
`Attorney Docket No. INTH-001/01US 308548-2014
`Application No. 11/698,739
`
`With regard to the Examir1er’s assertion that “the claims are indefinite in that it is unclear
`
`how the recited particle size relates to the effective concentrations recited, or how a particular
`
`droplet size contributes to a particular recited Cmax,” it is not clear how this rejection, or the
`
`proffered rationale for such a rejection relates to 35 U.S.C. § 112, second paragraph.
`
`MPEP § 2171 instructs:
`
`“There are two separate requirements set forth in [35 U.S.C. § 112, second
`
`paragraph]:
`
`(A)
`
`the claims must set forth the subject matter that applicants regard as
`
`their invention; and
`
`(B)
`
`the claims must particularly point out and distinctly define the metes
`
`and bounds of the subj ect matter that will be protected by the patent grant.
`
`The first requirement is a subjective one because it is dependent on what
`
`the applicants for a patent regard as their invention. The second requirement is an
`
`objective one because it
`
`is not dependent on the views of applicant or any
`
`particular individual, but
`
`is evaluated in the context of whether the claim is
`
`definite —
`
`i. e., whether the scope of the claim is clear to a hypothetical person
`
`possessing the ordinary level ofskill in the pertinent art.” Emphasis added.
`
`Applicants submit that the present claims explicitly recite clear, well defined limitations
`
`which are measurable and readily appreciable by one of ordinary skill in the art, as required by
`
`35 U.S.C. § 112, second paragraph. For example, the present claim 1 recites certain explicit
`
`limitations, namely:
`
`(i) discrete liquid droplets of...fentanyl...in a pharmaceutically acceptable liquid
`
`carrier; said droplets having a mean diameter of at least about 10 microns; and
`
`(ii) wherein the sublingual fentanyl formulation provides a mean maximum plasma
`
`concentration (Cm(1X) offentanyl of about 127pg/ml to about 213 pg/ml per 100 pgfentanyl
`
`after sublingual administration to humans. See claim 1 of the present application; emphasis
`
`added.
`
`Each of limitations (i) and (ii) above are readily measurable, and accordingly, definite.
`
`Similarly, independent claims 20 and 139 each recite limitations which are both definite and
`
`137631 V2/DC
`
`3.
`
`

`
`Attorney Docket No. INTH-001/01US 308548-2014
`Application No. 11/698,739
`
`readily ascertained by one skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present claims are definite, and the
`
`scope thereof is clear to a hypothetical person possessing the ordinary level of skill in the
`
`pertinent art, as required by 35 U.S.C. § 112, second paragraph.
`
`Furthermore, Applicants respectfully submit that the present specification contains
`
`explicit disclosure regarding the relationship between droplet size and drug absorption. See, e.g.,
`
`paragraph [0017] of the present specification (“[l]iquid droplets or particles having a diameter of
`
`less than about 5 microns have the potential to enter into the lungs of a human upon
`
`administration. Such entry into the lungs could lead to an increase in patient to patient variability
`
`in absorption of the fentanyl. Further, absorption of fentanyl in the lungs could lead to an
`
`increased absorption and increased side effects, including respiratory depression which may be
`
`fatal.). In addition, the present specification provides explicit Examples wherein the respirable
`
`amount of a dose of the presently claimed formulations was determined. See, e.g., paragraphs
`
`[0298]-[0326] of the present specification. Furthermore, the present specification is replete with
`
`examples wherein the presently claimed formulations produce the presently claimed Cmax values.
`
`See, e.g., paragraphs [0183]-[0199] of the present specification.
`
`Thus, Applicants respectfully submit that the present claims are clear, and each claimed
`
`limitation is not only definite and readily measurable, but also explicitly described and
`
`exemplified in the present specification. Accordingly, the metes and bounds of the present
`
`claims are readily ascertainable by one skilled in the art, as required by 35 U.S.C. § 112, second
`
`paragraph. As a result, the present rejection is improper, and should be withdrawn.
`
`III.
`
`Rejection Under 35 USC §103
`
`Claims 1-4, 10, 11, 20-23, 31, 32 and 139-143 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. lO3(a) as
`
`allegedly being unpatentable over U.S. Pat. Appl. Pub. No. 2006/0062812 (Ross). Office Action
`
`at p. 5. Applicants traverse on the grounds that Ross fails to disclose or suggest all of the
`
`limitations of the present claims. As a result, the Examiner has failed to satisfy the requirements
`
`for establishing a finding ofprima facie obviousness. Further, the Examiner’s rationale for the
`
`present rejection ignores the plain language of the present claims, and contradicts the explicit
`
`teachings of Ross. Finally, it would not be obvious to modify the formulations of Ross to
`
`137631 V2/DC
`
`

`
`Attorney Docket No. INTH-001/OIUS 308548-2014
`Application No. 11/698,739
`
`provide the claimed invention, because Ross fails to recognize the importance of droplet size. As
`
`a result, the present rejection is improper, and the present claims are patentable over Ross.
`
`Each of the present independent claims 1, 20 and 139 recite that the claimed formulation
`
`comprises “droplets having a mean diameter of at least about 10 microns.” Ross is silent with
`
`respect to droplet size, an explicit limitation required by the present claims. The Examiner concurs,
`
`stating “Ross does not specifically teach a liquid droplet size of at least about 10 microns.” Office
`
`Action at p.6. Thus, Ross fails to disclose all of the limitations of the present claims, and accordingly
`
`necessarily fails to support a finding ofprimafacie obviousness.
`
`Furthermore, Applicants note that a droplet size below the claimed range can undesirably
`
`increase patient to patient variability in the delivery of fentanyl (see e. g., present specification at page
`
`25, paragraph [00115]).
`
`Since Ross does not recognize the importance of droplet size on the
`
`therapeutic effect of fentanyl compositions, Applicants respectfully submit that it would not be
`obvious to modify the formulations of.Ross to provide the claimed range of droplet size (see MPEP
`
`2144.05 (11) (13)).
`
`The Examiner further alleges that “[s]ince the formulation of Ross comprises the same
`
`ingredients as the instant formulation, and produces the same Cmax, the invention as claimed is not
`
`structurally distinguishable from that of Ross.” Ia’.
`
`Applicants emphatically disagree. Not only does Ross does not produce “the same Cmax”,
`
`but Ross actually teaches formulations which provide quite different and higher mean Cmax values.
`
`Applicants respectfully submit that the Examiner appears to have disregarded the explicit language of
`
`the present claims, and the explicit disclosure of Ross. The present claims require that the claimed
`
`formulations “provide[] a 11% maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) of fentanyl of about 127
`
`pg/ml to about 213 pg/ml per 100 ug fentanyl after sublingual administration to humans” (see the
`
`present claims 1, 20 and 139; emphasis added). While the Examiner asserts that Ross discloses
`
`“Cmax values of about l27pg/ml to 2l3pg/ml per 100 pg of fentanyl after sublingual administration
`
`of the formulation (for example, 370pg/ml per 200 pg of fentanyl is the same as l85pg/ml per 100 ug
`
`of fentanyl- Table 1)” (Office Action at p. 5), Applicants note that the cited value which purportedly
`
`falls within the presently claimed range is a single discrete value, and not a mean value.
`
`Furthermore, Ross does expressly disclose mean Cmax values which fall outside the presently
`
`claimed range (see, e.g., Tables 1 and 2 of Ross, which report mean Cmax values significantly higher
`
`137631 V2/DC
`
`5.
`
`

`
`Attorney Docket No. INTH—001/01US 308548-2014
`Application No. 11/698,739
`
`than the claimed range). Accordingly, the Examiner appears to have disregarded the explicit
`
`language of claim 1, and the explicit teachings ofRoss, to support this ground of rejection.
`
`Furthermore, even assuming arguendo one were to select one of the discrete values reported
`
`by Ross in each of Tables 1 and 2, the Examiner has provided no articulated reasoning as to why one
`
`would select a lower Cmax value which falls within the presently claimed mean Cmax range, rather
`
`than a higher Cmax value (e. g., Table 1, entry 6 of Ross, which reports a Cmax of 760 pg/mL per
`
`200 pg of fentanyl, which is 380 pg/ml per 100 pg of fentanyl, and fall outside the presently claimed
`
`mean Cmax range).
`
`In fact, Applicants submit that the disclosure of Ross suggests the selection of
`
`higher Cmax values, because Ross explicitly teaches that “in order for the opioid analgesic to have a
`
`pain-relieving effect, a plasma concentration of between 250 pg/ml and 2 ng/ml is required.” Ross at
`
`paragraph [0080]. Thus, even if one were to ignore the plain language of the present claims (which
`
`require a mean plasma concentration of about 127 pg/1nL to about 213 pg/mL per 100 pg fentanyl),
`
`and disregard the explicit disclosure of % plasma concentration taught by Ross (which fall well
`
`outside the presently claimed range), and select a single discrete plasma concentration value from
`
`Tables 1 or 2 of Ross which falls within the presently claimed range of mean plasma concentrations
`
`as suggested by the Examiner (supra), Ross explicitly teaches plasma concentrations of at least 250
`
`pg/mL (see paragraph [0080] of Ross). Accordingly, Ross expressly teaches away from plasma
`
`concentrations lower than 250 pg/mL and thus, the Examiner’s assertion that one of ordinary skill in
`
`the art would select a discrete plasma concentration value which falls within the presently claimed
`
`mean plasma concentration range (e.g., l85pg/ml per 100 pg of fentanyl; Office Action at p. 5, citing
`
`Table l of Ross) contradicts the explicit teaching of Ross.
`
`In summary, Applicants respectfully submit
`
`that Ross fails to disclose all of the
`
`limitations of the present claims (i.e., droplet size and mean Cmax), and thus cannot support a
`
`finding of primafacie obviousness. Furthermore, since Ross fails to disclose or recognize the
`
`effect of droplet size on therapeutic effect, it would not be obvious to modify the formulations of
`
`Ross to provide the claimed droplet size. Moreover, the Examiner’s reasoning in support of the
`
`present obviousness rejection ignores the plain language of the present claims, and contradicts
`
`the explicit teachings of Ross. That is, Ross expressly teaches fentanyl formulations which
`
`provide different and higher mean Cmax values, which would therefore reasonably provide quite
`
`different pharmacological effects. As a result, Ross fails to render obvious the present claims.
`
`137631 V2/DC
`
`

`
`Accordingly, Applicants respectfully request reconsideration and withdrawal of the present
`
`Attorney Docket No. INTH-001/01US 308548-2014
`Application No. l l/698,739
`
`rejection.
`
`IV.
`
`Conclusion
`
`Applicants respectfully submit that the claims are now in condition for allowance, early
`
`notice of which would be appreciated. Should the Examiner disagree, Applicants respectfully
`
`request a telephonic or in-person interview with the undersigned to discuss any remaining issues
`
`and to expedite the eventual allowance of the claims.
`
`Except
`
`for
`
`issue fees payable under 37 C.F.R. 1.18,
`
`the Commissioner is hereby
`
`authorized by this paper to charge any additional fees during the entire pendcncy of this
`
`application including fees due under 37 C.F.R. 1.16 and 1.17 which may be required, including
`
`any required extension of time fees, or credit any overpayment to Deposit Account 50-1283.
`
`This paragraph is intended to be a CONSTRUCTIVE PETITION FOR EXTENSION OF
`
`TIME in accordance with 37 C.F.R. l.136(a)(3).
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`COOLEY LLP
`
`
`
`;_,='\
`i
`
`*
`
`Reg. No. 64,209
`
`Dated:
`
`
`
`COOLEY LLP
`ATTN: Patent Group
`777 6*“ Street NW, Suite 1100
`Washington, DC 20001
`
`Tel: (202) 842-7127
`Fax: (202) 842-7899
`
`B511
`
`‘
`
`137631 v2/DC

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