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Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`(PATENT)
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`In re Patent Application of:
`Daniel J. Rader
`
`Application No.: 13/046,118
`
`Confirmation No.: 4237
`
`Filed: March 11, 2011
`
`Art Unit: 1629
`
`For: METHODS FOR TREATING DISORDERS OR
`DISEASES ASSOCIATED WITH
`HYPERLIPIDEMIA AND
`HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA WHILE
`MINIMIZING SIDE EFFECTS
`
`Examiner: K. E. Weddington
`
`AMENDMENT AND RESPONSE TO OFFICE ACTION
`
`MS Amendment
`Commissioner for Patents
`P.O. Box 1450
`Alexandria, VA 22313-1450
`
`This Response is being filed in response to the outstanding Office Action, mailed
`
`October 2, 2012, in connection with the above-identified application, together with a terminal
`
`disclaimer and a copy of the Declaration ofWilliam Sasiela, Ph.D., under 37 C.P.R.§ 1.132, which
`
`was filed in the parent application, U.S. Application No. 10/591,923. Applicant also submits
`
`herewith an Information Disclosure Statement, a form used in lieu of a PTO/SB/08, copies of the
`
`references cited thereon, and a petition for a Two Month Extension of Time.
`
`Amendments to the Claims begin on page 2 of this paper.
`
`Remarks begin on page 5 of this paper.
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (1 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page2of9
`
`AMENDMENTS TO THE CLAIMS
`
`What is claimed is:
`
`1.
`
`(Currently amended) A method of treating a subject suffering from a disorder associated
`
`with hyperlipidemia andtor hypercholesterolemia, the method comprising administering to the
`
`subject an effective amount of an MTP inhibitor effective to ameliorate the disorder, wherein said
`
`administration comprises at least three step-wise, increasing dose levels dosages of the MTP
`
`inhibitor wherein a first dose level is from about 2 to about 13 mg/day, a second dose level is from
`
`about 5 to about 30 mg/day, and a third dose level is from about 10 to about 50 mg/day; and
`
`wherein the MTP inhibitor is represented by:
`
`or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or the piperidine N-oxide thereof, and wherein each
`
`dose level is administered to the subject for about 1 to about 5 weeks.
`
`2.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 1 wherein the disorder is severe hypercholesterolemia.
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (2 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page3 of9
`
`3.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of Total Cholesterol, LDL, fasting
`
`triglycerides (TG), VLDL, lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), and apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, B, and E are
`
`reduced by at least 15%, compared to control levels.
`
`4.
`
`(Original) The method of claim 1 wherein one or more of Total Cholesterol, LDL, fasting
`
`triglycerides (TG), VLDL, lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)), and apolipoproteins A-I, A-II, B, and E are
`
`reduced by at least 25%, compared to control levels.
`
`5.
`
`6.
`
`7.
`
`(Cancelled)
`
`(Original) The method of claim 1 wherein the MTP inhibitor is administered orally.
`
`(Cancelled)
`
`8.
`
`(Currently amended) The method of claim 1 [[7]] wherein said increasing dose levels
`escalating doses further comprise a fourth dose level.
`
`9.
`
`(Currently amended) The method of claim 1 [[7]] wherein said increasing dose levels
`escalating doses further comprise a fourth and a fifth dose level.
`
`10-12. (Cancelled)
`
`13.
`
`(Currently amended) The method of claim 9 wherein said first dose level is from about 2 to
`
`about 13 mg/day, said second dose level is from about 5 to about 30mg/day, and said third dose
`
`level is from about 10 to about 50 mg/day, said fourth dose level is from about 20 to about 60
`
`mg/day, and said fifth dose level is from about 30 to about 75_mg/day.
`
`14-25. (Cancelled)
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (3 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page4of9
`
`26.
`
`(New) A method of treating a subject suffering from hyperlipidemia or
`
`hypercholesterolemia, the method comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of an
`
`MTP inhibitor, wherein said administration comprises at least three step-wise, increasing dose
`
`levels of the MTP inhibitor wherein a first dose level is from about 2 to about 13 mg/day,
`
`administered to the subject for about 2 weeks; a second dose level is from about 5 to about 30
`
`mg/day, administered to the subject for about 2 weeks to about 4 weeks; and a third dose level is
`
`from about 10 to about 50 mg/day, administered to the subject for about 2 weeks to about 4 weeks;
`
`and wherein the MTP inhibitor is represented by:
`
`or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or the piperidine N-oxide thereof.
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (4 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`PageS of9
`
`REMARKS
`
`Claim 1-4, 6, 8, 9, 13, and 26 are pending. Claims 5, 7, 10-12, and 14-25 have been
`
`cancelled. Claims 8, 9 and 13 have been amended for clarity. Claim 1 has been amended to recite
`
`limitations of original claims 13 and 17, and the MTP inhibitor of original claim 5. Further support
`
`for the amendments to claim 1 are found throughout the application as filed, including, for example,
`
`at paragraphs 56 and 63. New claim 26 has been added. Support for new claim 26 is found
`
`throughout the application as filed, including, for example, in original claims 1, 5, 13, and 17 and in
`
`paragraphs 56 and 63. No new matter has been added.
`
`Amendment of the originally filed claims, or cancellation of any claims should in no way be
`
`construed as an acquiescence, narrowing, or surrender of any subject matter. The amendments are
`
`being made not only to point out with particularity and to claim the present invention, but also to
`
`expedite prosecution of the present application. Applicant reserves the option to prosecute the
`
`originally filed claims further, or similar ones, in the instant or subsequently filed patent
`
`applications.
`
`Double Patenting
`
`Claims 2-9 and 11-13 stand rejected on the ground of nonstatutory obviousness-type double
`
`patenting as being unpatentable over claims 2-8 of U.S. Patent No. 7,932,268. Applicant submits
`
`herewith a terminal disclaimer over U.S. Patent No. 7,932,268. Applicant respectfully requests the
`
`rejection be reconsidered and withdrawn.
`
`Claim Rejections under 35 U.S. C. § 112, first paragraph
`
`Claim 1, 3-18, 20, 24 and 25 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112, first paragraph, as failing
`
`to comply with the written description requirement because "the specification as original filed fails
`
`to provide sufficient written bases of any the agents demonstrating wherein possession of the use of
`
`the broad terms: a disorder associated with hyperlipidemia and/or hypercholesterolemia and a
`
`further lipid modifying agent." Applicant respectfully traverses this rejection.
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (5 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page6of9
`
`However, solely to expedite prosecution of this application, claim 1 has been amended to
`
`recite a method of treating hyperlipidemia or hypercholestermia, diseases that are well known to
`
`those of skill in the art. Claims 20, 24, and 25 have been cancelled. Applicant therefore requests
`
`withdrawal of this rejection.
`
`Claim Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 102
`
`Claims 1-4, 6-8, 14, 15, 17, 19 and 22 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being
`
`anticipated by Biller et al., US 5,739,135. Applicant notes that independent claim 1 has been
`
`amended to include limitations of claim 5 and claim 13, which do not stand rejected under 35
`
`U.S.C. 102(b) as anticipated by Biller. In addition, new independent claim 26 includes the
`
`limitations of original claims 5 and 13, which do not stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as
`
`anticipated by Biller. Applicant therefore respectfully requests withdrawal of this rejection.
`
`Claims 1-8, 14-16, and 18-23 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as being anticipated by
`
`Gregg et al., US 5,883,109. Applicant notes that independent claim 1 has been amended to include
`
`limitations of claim 13, which do not stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 1 02(b) as anticipated by Gregg.
`
`In addition, new independent claim 26 includes the limitations of original claims 5 and 13, which do
`
`not stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(b) as anticipated by Gregg. Applicant therefore respectfully
`
`requests withdrawal of this rejection.
`
`Claim Rejections under 35 U.S.C. § 103(a)
`
`Claims 9-13, 17, 24 and 25 stand rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
`
`Biller (U.S. 5, 739,135) ("Biller") or Gregg, U.S. Patent No. 6,057,339 ("Gregg") in view of Dow
`
`U.S. 6,194,454 ("Dow"). Applicant respectfully traverses this rejection in view of the following
`
`comments.
`
`Applicant submits that the standard of obviousness requires a consideration of whether the
`
`subject matter, taken as a whole, would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a
`
`person skilled in the art. As the Examiner knows, combining prior art methods to reach a
`
`conclusion of obviousness requires: (i) a finding that the prior art included each element claimed,
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (6 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page7 of9
`
`(ii) a finding that one of ordinary skill in the art could have combined the elements by known
`
`methods and that in combination each element merely would have performed the same function as it
`
`did separately; and (iii) a finding that one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the
`
`results of the combination were predictable.
`
`Applicant first notes that claim 1 has been amended to recite a method that includes a
`
`specific dosing regimen. Neither Gregg nor Biller teach an effective method that includes, for
`
`example, initially administering a low dose of about 2 mg/day to about 13 mg/day, for about 1 to
`
`about 5 weeks, and then an increasing second dose, and a third dose, as recited in claim 1. Rather,
`
`Biller, for example, teaches "5 to about 500 mg per day in single or divided doses of one to four
`
`times daily," with no teaching of an initial low dose level of 2 to 13 mg for 1 to 5 weeks as recited
`
`in claim 1.
`
`Importantly, neither Gregg or Biller recognize that the disclosed MTP inhibitor would cause
`
`two significant adverse effects, gastrointestinal related disorders and increase in hepatic fat, when
`
`administered to patients only at a constant level. As a consequence, previous phase II trials in
`
`human patients, initially administering 25 mg/day of the claimed compound, were discontinued
`
`because of such adverse events. (See e.g. instant specification at e.g., paragraph 115; Example 8,
`
`and the Declaration of William Sasiela Ph.D. (the "Declaration"), filed in parent application no.
`
`10/591,923, now U.S. Patent No. 7,932,268, a copy of which is submitted herewith for the
`
`convenience of the Examiner. Applicant submits that the Declaration is also directly relevant to the
`
`instant claims.) Further, neither the Gregg nor Biller reference recognizes that the instantly claimed
`
`method would result in the reduced incidence ofboth of these adverse events, while still being
`
`efficacious. There is no guidance in Biller or Gregg to select, without undue experimentation, the
`
`claimed low initial dose from the very broad range of disclosed dose levels -a range that spans 1
`
`to 2 orders of magnitude-, and then a step-wise increase in dose levels, to arrive at the instantly
`
`claimed method effective in significantly reducing adverse effects.
`
`For example, Applicants note that there is no reasonable expectation that one skilled in the
`
`art at the time of the instant invention would arrive at the claimed method. For example, the
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (7 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page 8of9
`
`disclosure recognizes that the method provides for possible adaptation by the liver to the claimed
`
`MTP inhibitor once administered at a low dose level of the claimed MTP inhibitor, and such an
`
`initial low dose may continue to limit e.g. hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) even when the patient is
`
`ultimately administered a higher dose, as described in the instant specification for example, at page
`
`26, paragraph 115. Further, as noted in the specification, it had been previously concluded, after a
`
`patient study using constant dose levels of 25 mg per day, that the claimed MTP inhibitor could not
`
`be developed as a drug for large scale use in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia. (Specification,
`
`paragraph 33).
`
`The Declaration indicates that others of skill in the art, including the scientists and
`
`investigators of the failed trial, did not appear to arrive at any solution to these adverse events, and
`
`that the instant invention is non-obvious as to these prior art teachings.
`
`Further, Applicants note, as described in the accompanying Declaration, that the instantly
`
`claimed method, e.g. with an initial administration of about 5 mg/day for two to four weeks or more,
`
`and then step-wise increases to larger doses, results in dramatic difference in the rate of
`
`gastrointestinal (GI) effects as compared to a constant dose level administration of the claimed
`
`inhibitor, even when the constant dose level is substantially less than the dose administered after
`
`several step wise increases as instantly claimed. This significant reduction in GI effects is obtained
`
`even when patients also receive a further lipid modifying compound such as ezetimibe.
`
`In contrast, Gregg teaches starting with low dose combinations of MTP inhibitors and other
`
`cholesterol lowering agents, effectively teaching away from the claimed method of the low step
`
`wise dose levels of the MTP inhibitor and a constant level of another agent, e.g. ezetimibe.
`
`Applicants submit that the standard of obviousness requires a consideration of whether the
`
`subject matter, taken as a whole, would have been obvious at the time the invention was made to a
`
`person skilled in the art. Without conceding any prima facie case of obviousness, Applicant
`
`believes that the Office must consider any rebuttal evidence, including showings that the claimed
`
`invention possesses superior properties, as described in the Declaration.
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (8 of 9)
`
`

`
`Application No. 13/046,118
`Attorney Docket No.: AGP-002C2
`Amendment and Response to Office Action
`Page9of9
`
`Applicant notes that claims 24 and 25 have been canceled. The Dow reference appears to be
`
`cited as possibly relevant only to those claims. Applicants assert that nothing in the Dow reference
`
`teaches or suggests any element of the instant claims.
`
`Applicant submits that the above references, either alone or in combination, fail to teach or
`
`suggest the claimed subject matter taken as a whole. In particular, the references alone or in
`
`combination, do not teach every limitation of the claims. Nor does the combination of each element
`
`of the claims merely perform the same function as it does separately. Further, there is no finding
`
`that one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized that the results of the combination were
`
`predictable. Therefore, Applicant respectfully requests withdrawal of this rejection.
`
`In addition, Applicant notes that new independent claim 26 is directed to a method similar to
`
`that of claim 1, but that each dose level of the MTP inhibitor is administered to the subject for about
`
`2 weeks to about 4 weeks. Accordingly, Applicant believes that the above arguments also apply to
`
`claim 26, and that the cited references fail to teach or suggest the subject matter of claim 26.
`
`Any questions raised by this submission may be directed to the undersigned at (617) 570-
`
`3917. The Commissioner is hereby authorized to charge any underpayments, or credit any
`
`overpayments, to our Deposit Account No. 07-1700, Reference: AGP-002C2.
`
`Dated: Monday, March 4, 2013
`
`Respectfully submitted,
`
`/Megan A. Gustafson/
`Megan A. Gustafson
`Registration No.: 65,847
`GOODWIN PROCTER LLP
`Exchange Place
`Boston, Massachusetts 021 09
`(617) 570-1000
`Attorney for Applicant
`
`CFAD Ex. 1009 (9 of 9)

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