Novartis challenges US Patent Office over patent extension policy

Swiss drug major Novartis has filed suit against the US Patent and Trademark Office, claiming that the agency's interim method for recalculating patent term adjustments in light of Wyeth versus Kappos has effectively cut short 11 of the company's patents, according to a note by analysts at Credit Suisse.

Novartis and its Novartis Vaccines Diagnostics unit lodged a complaint on Tuesday in the US District Court for the District of Columbia seeking extensions on the patents ranging from five to 435 days.

The Novartis patents relate to chemical compounds and processes, including at least one that relates to oxcarbazepine, the key ingredient in its anti-epilepsy drug Trileptal, and one covering a compound to treat a range of degenerative nervous system disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.