The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) held that it is abuse of process for a generic or biosimilar manufacturer to split its case across multiple notices of allegation (NOAs) under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance)
PM(NOC) Regulations
Pharma in Brief’s 2023 Year in Review and Trends for 2024
As you start the new year, allow us to recap 2023’s important legal and regulatory developments for Canadian pharma. We also flag what to watch out for in 2024.
The most significant legal development in 2023 was the introduction of…
Thirty years of the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations
This year marks the 30-year anniversary of the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations (Regulations), introduced in 1993 to prevent patent infringement by linking the regulatory approval of generic or biosimilar drugs with the patent rights of innovators. …
Federal Court: Transferring drug submission does not require re-serving Notice of Allegation
The Federal Court has upheld a decision of the Minister of Health (Minister) that the new owner of a biosimilar new drug submission (NDS) could adopt the notice of allegation (NOA) served by its…
The Ontario Superior Court dismisses a generic manufacturer’s claim for damages under section 8 of the PM(NOC) Regulations
The Ontario Superior Court (ONSC) has dismissed a claim for damages under section 8 of the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations (the Regulations) brought by Apotex Inc. (Apotex) for lost sales of its Apo-Atomoxetine…
Supreme Court denies leave to appeal in generic Statute of Monopolies case
On April 27, 2023, the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an application by Apotex Inc. and Apotex Pharmachem Inc. (Apotex) for leave to appeal from a decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal (ONCA), dismissing its…
Federal Court of Appeal rejects elevated standard of proof for induced infringement in paliperidone case
The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) has allowed an appeal concerning induced infringement in an action under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations (Regulations). The FCA found that the Federal Court (FC) had…
FCA upholds selection patent protecting apixaban and rejects that a second patented invention was obvious to try
The Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) has dismissed an appeal concerning four actions related to the molecule apixaban under the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations (Regulations). The Federal Court (FC) found the patents…
Proposed amendments to the PM(NOC) Regulations: Patents claiming different salt forms of medicinal ingredients eligible for inclusion on the Patent Register
On April 23, 2021, Proposed PM(NOC) Amendments [1] were published in the Canada Gazette, Part I. These amendments permit patents claiming different forms of a medicinal ingredient (e.g., salt forms) to be listed on the patent register and are intended…
Two PM(NOC) Actions Dismissed After Common Trial on Validity of Treatment Regimen Patent
The Federal Court has dismissed two infringement actions brought against defendants under subsection 6(1) of the Patented Medicines (Notice of Compliance) Regulations (Regulations), following a common trial on the validity of Canadian Patent No. 2,562,277 (277 Patent…