Thiopurine Drug Concentration Patents Invalidated—Supreme Court Decision Upsets BiotechnologyIndustry, as It Could Impede Research on Personalized Medicine

摘要

WASHINGTON, D.C. 3/20/12—In a decision that has the biotechnology world in a stew because of potentially adverse implications for personalized medicine, the Supreme Court ruled today that U.S. Patent Nos. 6,355,623 and 6,680,302, held by Prometheus Laboratories, a division of Nestle, disclosing the use of serum concentrations of thiopurine drugs to determine the correct dose in patients with certain autoimmune diseases actually claim a law of nature and thus are invalid. The decision and two extensive commentaries on it can be found elsewhere in this issue.