United Kingdom: Food, Drugs, Healthcare, Life Sciences

The UK Patents Court has upheld the validity of Novartis' patent and SPC protecting Entresto, its blockbuster heart failure treatment combining valsartan and sacubitril.

The Advertising Standards Authority has banned a Yo! Sushi Instagram advertisement for violating new regulations on less healthy food marketing. The paid post promoted a limited-edition Chocolate Cream Puff made with KitKat, which falls under HFSS (high fat, salt, or sugar) food categories subject to stricter advertising rules that came into force in January.

National courts have diverged on the interpretation of the EU Court of Justice’s latest decisions on SPCs for combination products – in particular on whether data in the application as filed are required for a combination product to meet the CJEU’s test of “falling under the invention” of the basic patent and be eligible for SPC protection in the EU.

Biotechnology and chemistry startups face a critical question when filing priority patent applications: how much experimental data is actually required? While the answer depends on the predictability of the technology, the European Patent Office's strict disclosure standards mean that insufficient technical support can invalidate priority claims entirely, leaving innovations vulnerable to competitor filings and prior art that emerges during the assumed protection period.

ValiRx's subsidiary Cytolytix has received positive signals from the European Patent Office regarding patent protection for its polyleucine-based anti-cancer peptides, raising questions about why the company is publicly announcing these intellectual property developments. The strategic timing and nature of these announcements may reveal important insights about the company's approach to attracting investment and licensing partners in the competitive biotechnology sector.

Human papillomavirus vaccination has dramatically reduced cervical cancer rates in young women across the EU, but could the same approach work for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, which has tripled in incidence among Scandinavian men over three decades? As gender-neutral vaccination programs roll out and immunotherapy strategies evolve, the landscape for treating and potentially preventing HPV-driven head and neck cancers is undergoing a fundamental transformation.

Biotechnology and chemistry startups face a critical question when filing priority patent applications: how much experimental data is actually required? While the answer depends on the predictability of the technology, the European Patent Office's strict disclosure standards mean that insufficient technical support can invalidate priority claims entirely, leaving innovations vulnerable to competitor filings and prior art that emerges during the assumed protection period.

ValiRx's subsidiary Cytolytix has received positive signals from the European Patent Office regarding patent protection for its polyleucine-based anti-cancer peptides, raising questions about why the company is publicly announcing these intellectual property developments. The strategic timing and nature of these announcements may reveal important insights about the company's approach to attracting investment and licensing partners in the competitive biotechnology sector.

Human papillomavirus vaccination has dramatically reduced cervical cancer rates in young women across the EU, but could the same approach work for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer, which has tripled in incidence among Scandinavian men over three decades? As gender-neutral vaccination programs roll out and immunotherapy strategies evolve, the landscape for treating and potentially preventing HPV-driven head and neck cancers is undergoing a fundamental transformation.