`Date Filed: June 27, 2016
`
`Filed On Behalf Of:
`
`Novartis AG
`
`By:
`
`Nicholas N. Kallas
`NKallas@fchs.com
`ZortressAfinitorIPR@fchs.com
`(212) 218-2100
`
`
`UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`
`
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`
`
`
`ROXANE LABORATORIES, INC.,
`Petitioner
`
`v.
`
`NOVARTIS AG,
`Patent Owner
`
`
`
`Inter Partes Review No. 2016-01102
`
`U.S. Patent 5,665,772
`
`
`PATENT OWNER NOVARTIS’S OPPOSITION TO
`PETITIONER ROXANE’S MOTION FOR JOINDER
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`I.
`
`II.
`
`III.
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`STATEMENT OF PRECISE RELIEF REQUESTED ................................... 1
`
`RESPONSE TO ROXANE’S STATEMENT OF
`MATERIAL FACTS ....................................................................................... 2
`
`STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR DENYING
`ROXANE’S REQUESTED RELIEF AND FOR
`GRANTING NOVARTIS’S REQUESTED RELIEF .................................... 4
`
`1.
`
`2.
`
`3.
`
`4.
`
`5.
`
`Roxane’s Petition Is Time-Barred ......................................................... 4
`
`Roxane’s Delay In Challenging Claim 7 Unfairly
`Provides Roxane With A Strategic Advantage ..................................... 6
`
`Roxane’s Contention That Institution On Claim 7 Does
`Not Require Consideration Of The -1102 Record Is
`Wrong .................................................................................................... 8
`
`Petitioners’ Proposed Schedule For Joint Proceedings Is
`Unworkable And Prejudicial To Novartis And The Board .................. 9
`
`Roxane’s Role In Any Joint Proceedings Should Be
`Limited ................................................................................................ 10
`
`IV. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................. 11
`
`
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`- i -
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`Cases
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`Aventis Pharma Deutschland GmbH v. Lupin Ltd.,
`499 F.3d 1293 (Fed. Cir. 2007) ............................................................ 9
`
`Dell Inc., Hewlett Packard Co. and NetApp, Inc. v. Elecs.
`and Telecomms. Research Inst.,
`IPR2015-00549, Paper 10 (Mar. 26, 2015) .......................................... 6
`
`Geneva Pharm., Inc. v. Glaxosmithkline PLC,
`189 F. Supp. 2d 377 (E. D. Va. 2002) .................................................. 3
`
`Geneva Pharm., Inc. v. Glaxosmithkline PLC,
`349 F.3d 1373 (Fed. Cir. 2003) ............................................................ 3
`
`Lupin Ltd. v. Senju Pharm. Co., Ltd.,
`IPR2015-01871, Paper 13 (Jan. 25, 2016) ......................................... 10
`
`Teva Pharms. USA, Inc. v. Viiv Healthcare Co.,
`IPR2015-00550, Paper 11 (Jun. 25, 2015) ......................................... 11
`
`Statutes
`
`35 U.S.C. § 316(b) .......................................................................................... 8
`
`37 C.F.R. § 42.1(b) ......................................................................................... 8
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`- ii -
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`I.
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`
`
`STATEMENT OF PRECISE RELIEF REQUESTED
`
`Patent Owner Novartis AG (“Novartis”) opposes the May 26, 2016 joinder
`
`motion of Petitioner Roxane Laboratories, Inc. (“Roxane”). In that motion,
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`Roxane seeks to join its petition for IPR2016-01102 (“-1102 petition”) challenging
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`claims 1-3 and 7-10 of U.S. Patent No. 5,665,772 (“’772 patent”) with Par
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`Pharmaceutical, Inc.’s (“Par”) instituted IPR2016-00084 (“-84 IPR”) challenging
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`claims 1-3 and 8-10 of the ’772 patent.1
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`
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`Roxane’s joinder motion should be denied for four reasons.
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`First, Roxane’s May 26, 2016 -1102 petition is time-barred.
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`Second, joinder of Roxane’s -1102 petition with Par’s -84 IPR would allow
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`Roxane to exploit the strategic advantage which Par gained by delaying its
`
`
`
` Also:
`
` 1
`
` Breckenridge moves to join with the -84 IPR its May 10, 2016 petition in
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`IPR2016-01023 (“-1023 petition”) challenging claims 1-3 and 8-10 and its
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`May 26, 2016 petition in IPR2016-01103 (“-1103 petition”) challenging
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`claim 7; and
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` Par moves to join with the -84 IPR its May 17, 2016 petition in IPR2016-
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`01059 (“-1059 petition) challenging claim 7.
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`Novartis opposes all such joinder motions.
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`challenge to claim 7 until after the Board instituted the -84 IPR, as explained
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`below. The exploitation of such gamesmanship should not be encouraged.
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`
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`Third, Roxane wrongly assumes that the record at the institution stage in its
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`-1102 IPR will be the same as that in Par’s -84 IPR. To the contrary: in opposing
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`Roxane’s -1102 petition, Novartis is entitled in its Preliminary Response to make
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`new arguments and to rely on new evidence not before the Board in Par’s -84 IPR.
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`
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`Fourth, contrary to the statements in Roxane’s motion, joinder of the -1102
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`IPR will have a significant and prejudicial effect on the schedule. Indeed,
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`Breckenridge, Par and Roxane (collectively, “Petitioners”) no longer appear to be
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`pursuing the original -84 IPR schedule with respect to their follow-on claim 7
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`petitions, including the -1102 petition. And the alternate schedule for hypothetical
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`joint proceedings that Petitioners proposed in their June 15, 2016 email to the
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`Board and discussed on a June 17, 2016 teleconference between the parties,
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`effectively requires a separate trial on claim 7, thereby creating extra work for
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`Novartis and the Board.
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`
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`For these reasons, Roxane’s motion should be denied.
`
`II. RESPONSE TO ROXANE’S STATEMENT OF MATERIAL FACTS
`
`
`
`Novartis does not dispute Statements 1-5 and 10 in Roxane’s Statement Of
`
`Material Facts. IPR2016-01102, Paper 3 at § II.
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`Novartis disputes Statement 6, because Par’s -1059 petition on claim 7 does
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`not present “the same grounds” as Par’s -84 IPR. The -1059 petition addresses a
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`new claim—claim 7—not mentioned in the -84 petition, and the ground it raises
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`against claim 7, directed to a pharmaceutical composition, is not the same as the
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`ground the Board instituted in the -84 IPR on claim 1, directed to a chemical
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`compound. The Board instituted review on claim 1 based on the combination of
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`five references: Morris, Van Duyne, Rossmann, Yalkowsky and Lemke. IPR2016-
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`00084, Paper 8 at 18. However, Par acknowledges that those references are
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`insufficient to render claim 7 obvious, because the -1059 petition adds a sixth
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`reference, Hughes (discussed in -84 IPR Ground 2 addressing claims 8 and 9, but
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`not claim 1) and attorney argument alleging that Hughes and Morris, in
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`combination with other references, teach that rapamycin and rapamycin derivatives
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`can be formulated with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers to arrive at a useful
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`immunosuppressant, i.e., the pharmaceutical composition of claim 7 of the ’772
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`patent. IPR2016-01059, Paper 1 (May 17, 2016) at, e.g., 11, 12, 29, 37, 42, 50, 52,
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`53. Those arguments also are based upon a newly cited authority: Geneva Pharm.,
`
`Inc. v. Glaxosmithkline PLC, 189 F. Supp. 2d 377 (E. D. Va. 2002), aff’d 349 F.3d
`
`1373 (Fed. Cir. 2003). See IPR2016-01059, Paper 1 (May 17, 2016) at 3, 50.
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`
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`Novartis disputes Statements 7 and 8, because Roxane’s -1102 grounds are
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`not “identical” to Par’s -84 and -1059 grounds. For example, Roxane alleges that
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`- 3 -
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`
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`the Morris 1992 reference (Ex. 1005), which Par characterizes only as pre-AIA
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`§ 102(a) art, also qualifies as pre-AIA § 102(b) art. Compare IPR2016-01102,
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`Paper 2 at 26 and IPR2016-00084, Paper 2 at 26. Roxane alleges that the
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`Rossmann 1980 reference (Ex. 1024) “discloses a method for deriving three-
`
`dimensional coordinates from stereo diagrams,” whereas Par does not. Compare
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`IPR2016-01102, Paper 2 at 28 and IPR2016-00084, Paper 2 at 27. And Par alleges
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`that Rossmann 1980 refers to software that would have allowed a person of
`
`ordinary skill to extract coordinates from two-dimensional figures, whereas
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`Roxane does not. Compare IPR2016-00084, Paper 2 at 28 and IPR2016-01102,
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`Paper 2 at 29.
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`
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`Novartis disputes Statement 9, and in particular the assertion that the validity
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`of claim 7 “should rise and fall with the validity of the compound and method
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`claims of the ’772 patent,” for the reasons set forth below in Section III.3.
`
`III. STATEMENT OF REASONS FOR DENYING
`ROXANE’S REQUESTED RELIEF AND
`FOR GRANTING NOVARTIS’S REQUESTED RELIEF
`
`1.
`
`Roxane’s Petition Is Time-Barred
`
`
`
`In late 2014 Novartis sued Petitioners in the District of Delaware for
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`infringement of the ’772 patent. D. Del. Civ. Nos. 14-1043, 14-1196, 14-1289.
`
`Breckenridge’s waiver of service of Novartis’s complaint was filed on August 27,
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`2014. 14-1043, D.I. 7. Roxane and Par accepted service of Novartis’s complaints,
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`- 4 -
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`
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`respectively, on September 17, 2014 (14-1289, D.I. 8) and October 27, 2014 (14-
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`1289, D.I. 7). On February 19, 2015, Novartis in the Delaware litigation served on
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`all three Petitioners infringement contentions asserting each of them infringed
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`claims 1-3 and 7-10 of the ’772 patent.
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`
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`On October 26, 2015, Par filed its -84 petition challenging claims 1-3 and 8-
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`10—but omitting claim 7. The Board instituted the -84 IPR in a decision dated
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`April 29, 2016. IPR2016-00084, Paper 8. On May 10, 2016, Breckenridge filed
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`its -1023 petition challenging claims 1-3 and 8-10—also omitting claim 7. On
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`May 17, 2016, Par filed its -1059 petition challenging claim 7 for the first time,
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`and a motion seeking to join the -1059 petition with the -84 IPR. On May 26,
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`2016, Breckenridge filed its -1103 petition challenging claim 7 for the first time,
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`and a motion seeking to join the -1059 petition with the -84 IPR. On May 26,
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`2016, Roxane filed its -1102 petition challenging claims 1-3 and 7-10 for the first
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`time and a motion seeking to join the -1059 petition with the -84 IPR. None of the
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`Petitioners has offered any excuse or explanation for their delays in filing their
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`follow-on -1023, -1059, -1103 and -1102 petitions.
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`
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`Roxane’s deadline under 35 U.S.C. § 315(b) to file its -1102 petition against
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`any claim of the ’772 patent expired long ago, on September 17, 2015. The -1102
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`petition thus is time-barred. And contrary to Roxane’s assertions, 35 U.S.C.
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`§ 315(c) does not permit Roxane here to circumvent the 35 U.S.C. § 315(b)
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`- 5 -
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`deadline through joinder, particularly where (i) Roxane has offered no explanation
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`for its delay in challenging claims that it well knew Novartis was asserting against
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`it; and (ii) as explained below in Sections III.3 and 4, joinder will result in
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`additional time, effort and expense to Novartis and the Board. E.g., Harmonix
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`Music Sys., Inc. v. Princeton Digital Image Corp., IPR2015-00271, Paper 15 (June
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`2, 2015) at 10 (denying joinder where the petitioner “present[ed] no persuasive
`
`argument or evidence to explain why the grounds of unpatentability asserted in the
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`Petition could not have been asserted in [a first] IPR”); Dell Inc., Hewlett Packard
`
`Co. and NetApp, Inc. v. Elecs. and Telecomms. Research Inst., IPR2015-00549,
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`Paper 10 (Mar. 26, 2015) at 8 (“[W]hile Patent Owner does not oppose joinder . . .
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`we cannot ignore the additional time, effort and expense that will fall to Patent
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`Owner”).
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`2.
`
`Roxane’s Delay In Challenging Claim 7 Unfairly
`Provides Roxane With A Strategic Advantage
`
`
`
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`Roxane’s joinder motion is silent as to why it failed to file a petition
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`challenging any claim of the ’772 patent, including claim 7 before the end of the
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`35 U.S.C. § 315(b) period. Regardless of the reason, it nevertheless allowed
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`Roxane, like Breckenridge and Par, to obtain a strategic advantage by relying on
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`Par’s -84 petition which concealed a conflict between the obviousness grounds for
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`claim 7 set forth in their delayed petitions, and the obviousness grounds for claims
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`1-3 and 8-10 set forth in Par’s -84 petition.
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`- 6 -
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`The conflict is as follows. As to claim 7, Roxane in its -1102 petition (like
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`Breckenridge and Par in their -1103 and -1059 petitions) asserts that the purported
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`prior art “lead compound” rapamycin was formulated with various carriers and
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`tested in animal studies for immunosuppressant properties. IPR2016-01102, Paper
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`2 (May 26, 2016) at 27-28. Roxane also asserts that the administration of a
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`compound for therapeutic effect implicitly includes the formulation of that
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`compound. Id. at 56. By contrast, as to claims 1-3 and 8-10, Par in the -84 petition
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`asserts that a POSA would have been motivated to undertake permanent chemical
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`modification of rapamycin to arrive at a useful immunosuppressant, i.e., the
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`rapamycin derivative everolimus, which is covered by claims 1-3 and 8-9 and
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`specifically claimed in claim 10. IPR2016-00084, Paper 2 (Oct. 26, 2015) at, e.g.,
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`40-44.
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`
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`Roxane’s ground on claim 7 (like Breckenridge’s and Par’s grounds on
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`claim 7) conflicts with Par’s grounds on claims 1-3 and 8-10 in suggesting that a
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`POSA did not have to modify rapamycin chemically to render it a useful
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`immunosuppressant, but instead could have used formulation approaches to
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`achieve that goal. Had Roxane (or Breckenridge or Par) challenged claims 1-3 and
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`7-10 prior to the institution of Par’s -84 IPR, the Board would have had the
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`opportunity to consider the above-mentioned conflict in deciding whether to
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`institute. The Board was deprived of that opportunity through Petitioners’ delay in
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`challenging claim 7 along with claims 1-3 and 8-10.
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`
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`Granting the joinder of any of Petitioners’ petitions challenging claim 7
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`under these circumstances would set a precedent that would allow petitioners to
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`hide conflicts among their invalidity grounds by dividing those grounds across
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`multiple, strategically delayed petitions. Clearly, that tactic is not one that would
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`promote the “just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution of every proceeding.” 35
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`U.S.C. § 316(b); 37 C.F.R. § 42.1(b). It should not be encouraged.
`
`3.
`
`Roxane’s Contention That Institution On Claim 7 Does
`Not Require Consideration Of The -1102 Record Is Wrong
`
`
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`Roxane appears to assume that in deciding whether to institute the
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`-1102 case, claim 7 presents only a minimal additional burden, and that the Board
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`need only consider only the institution decision in the -84 IPR and Roxane’s
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`additional attorney argument regarding aspects of claim 7.
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`
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`That assumption is wrong. Roxane forgets that Novartis is entitled to file a
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`Preliminary Patent Owner Response in the -1102 case, in which Novartis can raise
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`new arguments and rely on new evidence, including a new expert declaration.
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`Roxane also has no support for its suggestion that the Board must only consider the
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`differences between claim 7 and the claims at issue in the -84 IPR, and need not
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`assess whether claim 7 is reasonably likely to be unpatentable in view of the prior
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`art and evidence of record in the -1102 case.
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`- 8 -
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`Roxane further is wrong in asserting that the validity of a claim to a
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`pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound necessarily rises and falls
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`with a claim to a compound or method of using that compound. Aventis Pharma
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`Deutschland GmbH v. Lupin Ltd., 499 F.3d 1293 (Fed. Cir. 2007) is
`
`distinguishable, at least because it does not involve—as here—a motivation to
`
`modify a compound that was in any way related to pharmaceutical formulations or
`
`pharmaceutical compositions.
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`4.
`
`Petitioners’ Proposed Schedule For Joint Proceedings Is
`Unworkable And Prejudicial To Novartis And The Board
`
`
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`Roxane represents that joinder “will not affect the Board’s ability to issue
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`the decision within its required one-year time frame.” IPR2016-01102, Paper 3 at
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`5. That representation is inaccurate.
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`
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`Petitioners have proposed an alternate schedule for hypothetical joint
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`proceedings in a June 15, 2016 email to the Board. According to that schedule,
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`only after nearly all of the papers have been filed in the -1102, -1103 and -1059
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`proceedings on claim 7 would those proceedings come together with the -84 IPR.
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`Joinder under that schedule would inconvenience Novartis and the Board at least
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`by forcing them to conduct an independent trial for claim 7 with independent due
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`dates. Such a schedule cannot be considered one that has “minimal impact” or one
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`that promotes the “just, speedy, and inexpensive resolution” of the proceedings.
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`
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`The most straightforward solution to the scheduling quandaries presented by
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`hypothetical joint proceedings is simply to deny joinder. And contrary to Roxane’s
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`conclusory assertions of prejudice (IPR2016-01102, Paper 3 at 9-10), Roxane has
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`only itself to blame for the situation that it now finds itself in. Roxane could have
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`filed its -1102 petition before expiry of the one-year statutory bar.
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`5.
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`Roxane’s Role In Any Joint Proceedings Should Be Limited
`
`
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`Roxane acknowledges that the administrative convenience afforded by
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`joinder is subordinate to the primary goal of all IPR proceedings: their “just,
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`speedy, and inexpensive resolution.” Accordingly, Roxane’s role in any joint
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`proceedings—should the Board decide to grant joinder for any follow-on
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`petition—should be limited to minimize any prejudice to Novartis, the Board, and
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`Par. Thus, if the Board grants joinder, Novartis asks that the Board order Roxane
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`(i) to rely solely on the petition and the evidence filed by Par in the -84 IPR and
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`any instituted IPR on claim 7; (ii) to share with Par the pages that are or will be
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`allotted for written work product to Par in the -84 IPR and any instituted IPR on
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`claim 7; and (iii) to share with Par the time that is or will be allotted for cross and
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`redirect examination to Par in the -84 IPR and any instituted IPR on claim 7.
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`
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`Precedent exists for those limitations. See Lupin Ltd. v. Senju Pharm. Co.,
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`Ltd., IPR2015-01871, Paper 13 (Jan. 25, 2016) at 4-5 (granting joinder upon
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`Lupin’s agreement “to withdraw all additional arguments, as well as its supporting
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`declaration of Dr. Lawrence, and proceed in IPR 903 based on the arguments and
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`- 10 -
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`evidence provided by InnoPharma in IPR 903 . . . In other words, Lupin requests
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`permission to be added to the case caption as a petitioner in IPR 903, without any
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`active participation or involvement that is separate from InnoPharma unless
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`authorized by the Board upon a request pertaining to an issue unique to Lupin
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`alone.”). Cf. Teva Pharms. USA, Inc. v. Viiv Healthcare Co., IPR2015-00550,
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`Paper 11 (Jun. 25, 2015) at 6 (denying joinder where joinder raised the prospect
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`that the parties and the Board would have to manage burdensome additional pages
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`of briefing).
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`IV. CONCLUSION
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`
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`For the foregoing reasons, Novartis respectfully requests that the Board deny
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`Roxane’s joinder motion.
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`Dated: June 27, 2016
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`Respectfully submitted,
`
`
`
`
`
`/Nicholas N. Kallas/
`Nicholas N. Kallas
`Registration No. 31,530
`Lead Counsel for Patent Owner
`FITZPATRICK, CELLA, HARPER
`& SCINTO
`1290 Avenue of the Americas
`New York, NY 10104-3800
`Tel. 212-218-2100
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`CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
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`I certify that a copy of the foregoing Patent Owner Novartis’s Opposition To
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`Petitioner Roxane’s Motion For Joinder Of Its Petition was served on June 27,
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`2016 by causing it to be sent by email to counsel for Petitioner Roxane
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`Laboratories, Inc. in IPR2016-01103 and Petitioner Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. in
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`IPR2016-00084 at the following email addresses:
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`Roxane Laboratories, Inc.
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`Keith A. Zullow (kzullow@goodwinprocter.com)
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`Marta Delsignore (mdelsignore@goodwinprocter.com)
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`Par Pharmaceutical, Inc.
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`Daniel Brown (daniel.brown@lw.com)
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`Robert Steinberg (bob.steinberg@lw.com)
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`Jonathan M. Strang (jonathan.strang@lw.com)
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`Dated: June 27, 2016
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`/Nicholas N. Kallas/
`Nicholas N. Kallas
`Registration No. 31,530
`Lead Counsel for Patent Owner
`FITZPATRICK, CELLA, HARPER
`& SCINTO
`1290 Avenue of the Americas
`New York, NY 10104-3800
`Tel. 212-218-2100
`
`
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`- 12 -