Hadron blog

Novartis and collaborators discover novel antimalarial drug candidate

Novartis announced that scientists at the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), in collaboration with researchers from the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF), the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a novel compound that shows promise as a next generation treatment for drug resistant malaria. Major support for the project was provided by the Wellcome Trust, the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), A*STAR, Singapore and the US government.

Published this week in Science, the findings demonstrate that the antimalarial candidate, spiroindolone NITD609, is effective against both strains of the malaria parasite, Plasmodium (P.) falciparum and P. vivax. Through a novel mechanism, NITD609 rapidly clears plasmodium in a malaria mouse model and shows pharmacological properties compatible with a once-daily dosing regimen.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2008 there were approximately 247 million cases of malaria, causing nearly one million deaths, mostly among young children in Africa. Although malaria is preventable and curable, it is estimated that in Africa, a child dies every 45 seconds from the disease.[1]

“Malaria remains a scourge,” said Mark Fishman, president, Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. “The parasite has demonstrated a frustrating ability to outwit new medicines, from quinine to today’s unsettling increased tolerance to artemisinin derivatives. We are delighted that our scientists could provide this potential new malaria therapy, based on an unprecedented chemical structure and directed to a novel target.”

Further regulatory pharmacological and safety evaluation is currently ongoing and, provided the outcome of these studies is favorable, the compound could progress to Phase I human trials.

A novel mechanism of action
Despite significant advances in Plasmodium genome biology, the identification and validation of new drug targets has proven challenging. In the Science paper the research team outlines how they identified a potential target by identifying mutations that decreased the parasite’s sensitivity to this novel compound class.

“Using a novel Plasmodium whole-cell assay we were able to tap into the Novartis archive of 12,000 pure natural products and synthetic compounds to identify 275 compounds highly active against P. falciparum, the most prevalent and deadly form of malaria,” said Novartis Institute for Tropical Disease’s Bryan Yeung, project team head. “From this set all but 17 compounds were discarded for failing to meet pharmacological and efficacy standards. Of the remaining compound class, spirotetrahydro-beta-carbolines or spiroindolones have favorable physical and chemical properties for drug development as well as a mechanism of action distinct from the currently used therapies based on aminoquinolines and artemisinin derivatives.”

Combating malaria- a sustainable commitment
As of June 2010, Novartis has delivered over 340 million of its antimalarial treatments without profit, to more than 60 malaria-endemic countries for public sector use, making Novartis the leading pharmaceutical partner in the fight against malaria. But Novartis does more than providing effective treatment. Since the beginning of its Malaria Initiatives program Novartis has pioneered access to medicines in the developing world through an innovative not-for-profit distribution concept, coordination of best practice sharing workshops, development of new formulations and capacity building. The program proves that increasing access is not just a matter of buying drugs and distributing them, it is about incorporating training, logistics management and other types of technical expertise to ensure long-term health impacts.

Source

HP Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against APM

HP today announced it has refiled its Federal District court litigation pertaining to the sale of patent-infringing cartridges as well as the sale of products incorporating stolen components.

The refiling of the complaint identifies an additional defendant, Asia Pacific Microsystems Inc. (APM) of Taiwan, an affiliated company of Taiwan-based UMC Group. The refiled case also adds Hewlett-Packard Development Company, a subsidiary of HP, as a plaintiff in the case.

The original case is Hewlett Packard v MicroJet Technology, No. C 10-00965 EMC, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California (San Francisco). HP also is taking similar steps to introduce APM as a respondent in a parallel investigation regarding the patent claims before the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC). The Federal District court and ITC complaints also name the following as defendants: Mipo Technology Limited of Hong Kong, Mipo Science & Technology Co. Ltd. of China, Mextec Group Inc. D/B/A Mipo America Ltd. of Florida, Sinotime Technologies Inc. D/B/A All Colors of Florida, and Ptc Holdings Limited of Hong Kong. HP will soon be taking similar steps to introduce APM as a defendant in parallel litigation on the patent claims before the ITC.

HP’s allegations of infringement arise from ongoing enforcement efforts by HP.

Source: http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2010/100520c.html

Retractable Tech claims $5M win in Becton suit

LITTLE ELM, Texas — Retractable Technologies Inc. said Monday that it has won a $5 million patent infringement case against Becton, Dickinson and Co.

Retractable Technologies, which makes safety syringes and blood collection devices, charged Becton Dickinson of violating intellectual property rights on two of its syringe designs.

A judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ordered an injunction blocking Becton Dickinson from making or selling the syringe. The injunction won’t go into place for a year or until Becton Dickinson is finished appealing the ruling.

Becton Dickinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Shares of Retractable Technologies added 5 cents, or 3 percent, to $1.70 in afternoon trading. Becton Dickinson shares climbed 37 cents to $71.86.

Source: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gGKgSYFxBo4n6LFj8×0mwUdAs8agD9FTCLM80

Convergys Receives Patent for Major Innovation in Scalability and Timing of Software Development

Convergys Corporation (CVG 11.51, -0.07, -0.57%), a global leader in relationship management, announced today that it has received a new patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a major innovation that improves the scalability and timing of software development.

Convergys now holds 153 patents or patents pending for advanced technology in the company’s customer management and information management lines of business. Convergys has invested over $1 billion since 1998 in research and development in support of its vision is to be the voice and technology behind all superior service experiences, recognized as the global leader in relationship management.

The USPTO awarded the new patent to Convergys for the creation of extensibility architecture that assists in the development of software programs for clients. Convergys created this solution to combat inherent scalability and timing issues associated with the development of advanced software applications.

“This patented solution created by Convergys’ knowledgeable engineers will assist us in the development of software programs specifically for our global clients,” said Vinay Mehta, Senior Vice President, Development. “Improving our ability to speed software development will enable us to deliver the necessary programs our clients need to support their customers at an accelerated pace.”

Convergys’ technology leadership has been recognized by such organizations as the Association for Services Management International (AFSMI) and the Technology Services Industry Association (TSIA), which recently named Convergys a winner of the Fall 2009 Recognized Innovator award for battling complexity in technology customer care.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/convergys-receives-patent-for-major-innovation-in-scalability-and-timing-of-software-development-2010-05-19?reflink=MW_news_stmp

WiLAN suing Apple, Dell, other major handset/computer firms for patent infringement

WiLAN today said that it has filed a patent infringement complaint with the U.S. District Court for the eastern district of Texas against a number of computer and handset manufacturers.

The company claims that all of the firms are infringing on U.S. Patent No. 5,515,369 which involves making or selling products with Bluetooth technology in them.

The companies named in the case include: Acer, Inc., Acer America Corporation, Apple, Inc., Atheros Communications, Inc., Belkin International, Inc., Broadcom Corporation, Dell, Inc., D-Link Corporation, D-Link Systems, Inc., Gateway, Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Intel Corporation, Lenovo Group Ltd., Lenovo (United States) Inc., LG Electronics Mobilecomm U.S.A., Inc., LG Electronics, Inc., Marvell Semiconductor, Inc., Motorola, Inc., Personal Communications Devices, LLC, Sony Corporation, Sony Corporation of America, Sony Electronics, Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc., Texas Instruments, Incorporated, Toshiba America, Inc., Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Toshiba Corporation, and UTStarcom, Inc.

Soruce: http://www.mobileburn.com/news.jsp?Id=9198

Fractus and Motorola Sign a Global Patent Licensing Deal Relating to Antenna Technology

Press Release

On April 7, 2010, Fractus S.A. of Barcelona, Spain announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive, worldwide patent license agreement with Motorola, Inc. The agreement includes a license under all of Fractus’ patents related to internal antennas and covers the sale of all Motorola products.

“This deal represents a major milestone in our efforts to obtain recognition for the valuable technology our company developed and brought to the industry,” said Ruben Bonet, President & CEO of Fractus. IPotential, LLC served as broker for Fractus in the negotiation of this license agreement.

Fractus recently filed a patent infringement case against ten cell phone manufacturers in the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, Case No. 6:09-cv-203. Fractus is represented in the Tyler case by Susman Godfrey L.L.P. and Heim, Payne & Chorush, L.L.P. Motorola was not a party to this litigation.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fractus-and-motorola-sign-a-global-patent-licensing-deal-relating-to-antenna-technology-2010-04-07?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Sanofi-Aventis settles generic Eloxatin suits

NEW YORK — French drugmaker 

Sanofi-Aventis ( SNY - news - people ) said it resolved lawsuits against Hospira ( HSP - news - people ) Inc.’s Mayne Pharma unit, Turkish drugmaker MN Pharmaceuticals and Actavis Inc. Each company was selling a generic version of Sanofi-Aventis’ Eloxatin, but under the settlement, they will stop selling the drug on June 30 and not resume until Aug. 9, 2012.

Sanofi-Aventis said Tuesday it settled patent infringement lawsuits with three generic drugmakers, who have agreed to stop selling generic versions of Sanofi’s colon cancer drug at the end of June.

The Paris-based company announced similar settlements withTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. 

Eloxatin, also called oxaliplatin, was first approved in January 2005 and has patent protection until January 2013. However, generic drugmakers had launched their own formulations they claimed did not infringe Sanofi’s patents.

The settlements give Sanofi-Aventis another two years to market Eloxatin in the U.S. without facing generic competition. In return, the generic drugmakers get to relaunch their versions six months before Eloxatin’s patents expire, and they will not face legal challenges from Sanofi-Aventis.

( TEVA - news - people ), Fresenius Kabi and Novartis (NVS - news - people ) AG’s Sandoz division last week. All the settlements are subject to review by the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Attorney General for the state of Michigan. 

The Paris-based company announced similar settlements withTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ( TEVA - news - people ), Fresenius Kabi and Novartis (NVS - news - people ) AG’s Sandoz division last week. All the settlements are subject to review by the Federal Trade Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Attorney General for the state of Michigan.

Eloxatin, also called oxaliplatin, was first approved in January 2005 and has patent protection until January 2013. However, generic drugmakers had launched their own formulations they claimed did not infringe Sanofi’s patents.

The settlements give Sanofi-Aventis another two years to market Eloxatin in the U.S. without facing generic competition. In return, the generic drugmakers get to relaunch their versions six months before Eloxatin’s patents expire, and they will not face legal challenges from Sanofi-Aventis.

Sun Pharmaceuticals is also marketing generic oxaliplatin, Sanofi-Aventis said Tuesday. The companies agreed Sun will stop selling its version at the same time as the other generic competitors.

iPad included in patent infringement suit

A company that has already sued Apple over a patent on zooming and scrolling on a mobile Web browser, is now adding the iPad to the lawsuit Monday. 

EMG Technology, a company based in Los Angeles, sued Apple in November 2008, claiming that it owns U.S. Patent No. 7,441,196, which covers the “Apparatus and Method of Manipulating a Region on a Wireless Device Screen for Viewing, Zooming and Scrolling Internet Content.” The company says the method of scrolling and zooming on a mobile Web browser was issued to Elliot Gottfurcht, one of the owners of EMG Technology, in October 2008, though the original patent was filed in 1999. The case is currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Though the original suit targeted the iPhone, the iPad, which went on sale Saturday, is now being included. Gottfurcht said in a statement Monday that “Apple refuses to pay reasonable royalties for its use of EMG’s patents relating to navigating Internet mobile websites and applications, which were filed in 1999, several years before Apple’s mobile patents were filed.”

This is the second iPhone/iPad-related patent suit directed at Apple in a week. Last Tuesday, Elan Microelectronics accused Apple of violating a patent it owns on multitouch technology. And Apple has started its own patent skirmish with HTC, accusing the phone maker of infringing on several patents related to the iPhone’s graphical interface and software.

iPad to the lawsuit Monday.

Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-31021_3-20001747-260.html

Sanofi settles US Eloxatin patent infringement suit

Sanofi-Aventis said this morning that is has laid to rest its patent infringement battle in the US relating to copycat versions of its cancer blockbuster drug Eloxatin.

The Paris, France-headquartered drugmaker and Debiopharm, licensor of the patent rights, have signed settlement agreements with Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Fresenius Kabi (formerly Dabur) and Sandoz to partially resolve the litigation over certain formulations of Eloxatin (oxaliplatin) that hit the market last year.

Under the settlement, the generic manufacturers have agreed to stop selling their generic versions of the drug at the end of June this year, but can resume sales on August 9, 2012 as per a license to re-enter the market.

Sanofi said the rest of the details regarding the settlement are confidential, but added that all of the provisions “subject to contingencies which could enhance, diminish or eliminate the value of those settlements to the Group”, and that the agreements are subject to review by the Federal Trade Commission, the US Department of Justice and the Attorney General for the State of Michigan.

However, as the settlement only covers three generic manufacturers, smaller rivals, such as Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, which also has a copycat version of the drug, can continue to sell their formulations. In addition, Mike Ward, analyst at Ambrian, told Reutersthat Eloxatin “has become a very small product within a large business”, and that “it would have helped if they had done a deal before generics decimated the franchise”.

Source: http://www.pharmatimes.com/WorldNews/article.aspx?id=17653

HTC Lawsuit Update: HTC says Apple’s patent suit has not affected its operations

The fact that the U.S. International Trade Commission has agreed to look into Apple’s claims of patent infringement against HTC has not fazed the Taiwanese handset maker, its president said Friday.

According to Reuters, HTC Chief Executive Peter Chou said the suit from Apple, which has accused his company of violating 20 iPhone-related patents, has not affected its operations.

“It’s part of business,” Chou reportedly said at a news conference. “We need to face it and everyone can talk through it.”

His comments come a few days after the ITC agreed to review Apple’s allegations of patent violations by HTC. Apple has sought to ban the importation and sale of HTC handsets, which include a number of devices powered by the Google Android mobile operating system.

HTC formally responded to the suit last week, when the company said it has no plans to back down as a result of Apple’s legal threat. Google, the creator of the Android mobile operating system that is at the center of the patent infringement suit, has also said it will stand by its partners, including HTC.

Apple’s lawsuit is largely believed to be an indirect shot at Google, which is a close partner with HTC in making the Nexus One and myTouch 3G, two phones specifically cited in Apple’s complaint. In January, a firmware update to the Nexus One added multi-touch functionality system-wide to the portable device.

The legal battle began in early March, when Apple filed its complaint against HTC, suing the Taiwanese smartphone maker over the alleged infringement of 20 patents related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.

Source: http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/04/02/htc_says_apples_patent_suit_has_not_affected_its_operations.html

TASER International Wins Patent Infringement Summary Judgment Against Stinger Systems, Inc.

TASER International, Inc.(TASR 5.78, 0.00, 0.00%) today announced that on March 31, 2010, the United States District Court for the District of Arizona entered an order for TASER International in the patent infringement lawsuit filed against Stinger Systems entitled TASER International, Inc. v. Stinger Systems, Inc. granting TASER’s motion for summary judgment against Stinger for literal patent infringement of TASER’s U.S. Patent 6,999,295 (“295 Patent”).

The patent infringement claim against Stinger’s S-200 is based on TASER’s patent on the dual mode “shaped pulse” technology found in the TASER(R) X26(TM), X3(TM), Shockwave and C2(TM) products. The Court’s ruling found that the “Flyback Quantum Technology” found in the Stinger S-200 literally infringes TASER’s ‘295 Patent. The Court stated that, “A party is liable for inducing infringement on a method claim ‘if it sells infringing devices to customers who use them in a way that directly infringes this method claim.’” The Court concluded, “Accordingly, TASER has demonstrated that the [Stinger] S-200 embodies every element of claims 2 and 40 and summary judgment concerning infringement of ‘295 patent is warranted.” In a related ruling, the Court granted Stinger summary judgment on its motion that claim 3 of TASER’s U.S. Patent 7,102,870 is invalid as obvious.

TASER also filed a complaint in February 2009 in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada against James F. McNulty, Jr., Robert Gruder, and Stinger Systems, Inc. alleging securities fraud under 15 U.S.C. § 78j(b), trade libel/defamation, unfair competition in violation of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), abuse of process, and deceptive trade practices. Defendants brought a motion to dismiss this complaint and on March 25, 2010 the Court denied this motion on all claims except the securities fraud claim.

“We believe the Court’s ruling in this patent infringement lawsuit against Stinger is a vindication of the important patent rights of TASER International and a rebuke to competitors who try to copy our protected intellectual property,” said Doug Klint, President and General Counsel of TASER International.

In addition, the company announced that four (4) product liability lawsuits filed against TASER were dismissed in First Quarter 2010.

Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/taser-international-wins-patent-infringement-summary-judgment-against-stinger-systems-inc-2010-04-02?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Lawsuit Update: Microsoft Rehearing Appeal Rejected

A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT: 29.16, -0.1275, -0.44%) request for a rehearing in its patent infringement suit with Canadian technology company i4i Ltd.

The two companies have been in dispute for more than three years regarding a feature in Microsoft Word’s application.

Toronto-based i4i was awarded $290 million last August after it was discovered that Microsoft infringed on a patent that belonged to i4i. The infringement involves text manipulation software in Microsoft Word 2003 and 2007.

The court also granted i4i’s injunction to prevent Microsoft from selling copies of the software with the infringed patent. Since the dispute, Microsoft has fixed the word manipulation in its software.

Microsoft appealed the decision in December but a panel of three appeals court judges rejected the company’s arguments. In January, Microsoft asked for a rehearing of the case by all 11 judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, but it was rejected on Thursday.

“We’re disappointed with the decision,” a Microsoft spokesman told Reuters. “We continue to believe there are important matters of patent law that still need to be properly addressed, and we are considering our options for going forward.”

Source: http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/microsoft-rehearing-appeal-rejected/

Elan seeks ITC ban on Apple multi-touch products, including iPad

Touchscreen IC design house Elan Microelectronics, which has accused Apple of infringing its multi-touch technology, has filed another lawsuit with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) alleging that Apple is violating section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by importing and selling its iPhone and other multi-touch devices products made using its patents.

Elan is also seeking to block the import and sale of Apple’s iPad. The Taiwan-based chip designer claims the forthcoming product is among the infringing items in its complaint with the ITC. Elan said it is requesting the agency to issue a permanent exclusion order that operates to bar Apple’s multi-touch products from entry into the US.

In April 2009, Elan filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple with the US District Court for the Northern District of California, asserting two patents (US patent No 5825352 and 7274353) that cover innovations in touch-sensitive input devices incorporated into smartphones and computer touchpads.

Source: http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20100331PD224.html