http://www.law360.com/ Latest articles for organization: GlaxoSmithKline Copyright 2009 Portfolio Media, Inc. en-US http://www.law360.com/images/headings/logo.gif http://www.law360.com/ http://www.law360.com/articles/135185 The head of the European Commission's pharmaceutical task force reportedly told drug companies Thursday of plans to ask for details on patent deals with generic-drug makers that are suspected of delaying the entry of cheaper drugs into the market. http://www.law360.com/articles/135185 http://www.law360.com/articles/134232 Bringing an end to the drawn-out case over the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s now-rescinded set of rules for patent applicants, a federal appeals court has dismissed the agency’s appeal, but it refused to vacate a lower court’s ruling that barred the USPTO from imposing the divisive rules package. http://www.law360.com/articles/134232 http://www.law360.com/articles/134153 Teva Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has reportedly complained to the Federal Trade Commission that it has been unable to purchase bulk quantities of certain pharmaceuticals because brand-name drug companies are using a federal drug-safety program to unfairly limit competition. http://www.law360.com/articles/134153 http://www.law360.com/articles/133025 Since David Kappos’ appointment as director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August, he has made an immediate impact on the patent community, including killing the highly controversial proposed claims and continuation rules and leading efforts to revamp the examiner quota system, say Andrew T. Spence, Cory C. Davis and Christopher H. Orders of Alston & Bird LLP. http://www.law360.com/articles/133025 http://www.law360.com/articles/124155 While some observers say the tactic is more marketing strategy than substance, law firms are increasingly organizing themselves into industry-specific groups, a trend that some firms say has helped them develop or maintain an edge in landing mergers and acquisitions and other corporate business, even in the recession. http://www.law360.com/articles/124155 http://www.law360.com/articles/132271 Chemical manufacturer ICL Performance Products LP has sued Hawkins Inc. for $7 million, saying Hawkins backed out of a contract for the sale of food-grade phosphoric acid. http://www.law360.com/articles/132271 http://www.law360.com/articles/128666 The decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to rescind its draconian final rules represents a significant step to make the USPTO more efficient, responsive and transparent to the public, as well as to reduce the backlog of unexamined applications and improve examination efficiency and the quality of the issued patents, say Kate H. Murashige and Jenny Jih-Pin Yeh of Morrison & Foerster LLP. http://www.law360.com/articles/128666 http://www.law360.com/articles/132183 A federal judge has purged state antitrust and consumer protection claims from a putative class action brought by employee benefit plans accusing GlaxoSmithKline PLC of filing baseless patent suits to delay generic versions of antidepressant Wellbutrin SR. http://www.law360.com/articles/132183 http://www.law360.com/articles/131851 Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal released a statement Monday saying he would investigate whether producers of seasonal flu vaccines, in limited supply this year because of the H1N1 virus, are charging unfair prices or giving preferential treatment to big retailers. http://www.law360.com/articles/131851 http://www.law360.com/articles/130602 Having already failed to make headway in a putative class action alleging NutriSystem Inc. misled investors about its prospects and inflated its stock price, shareholders have fared little better in taking the weight-loss company’s brass to task over the company's downturn in 2007. http://www.law360.com/articles/130602 http://www.law360.com/articles/129373 Inventor Triantafyllos Tafas has objected to a bid by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to vacate a lower court decision barring the agency from imposing a controversial rules package on patent applicants as part of their motion to dismiss the appeals court dispute. http://www.law360.com/articles/129373 http://www.law360.com/articles/128857 The Alabama Supreme Court has overturned two jury decisions awarding the state nearly $275 million from three pharmaceutical companies, which the state accused of ripping off its Medicaid program by fraudulently inflating the price of their prescription drugs. http://www.law360.com/articles/128857 http://www.law360.com/articles/128127 Stiefel Research Australia Pty Ltd., a subsidiary of skin care pharmaceutical company Stiefel Laboratories, has sued health care supplier Perrigo Co. and an Israeli subsidiary, alleging Perrigo's abbreviated new drug application for a generic male hair care product infringes Stiefel's patent governing the composition of Men's Rogaine. http://www.law360.com/articles/128127 http://www.law360.com/articles/128037 A Philadelphia jury on Tuesday returned a $2.5 million verdict against GlaxoSmithKline in a product liability case alleging that 3-year-old Lyam Kilker was born with a rare heart defect as a result of his mother’s use of Paxil during pregnancy. http://www.law360.com/articles/128037 http://www.law360.com/articles/127342 The fiercely contested rules proposed by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office under the Bush administration that sought to impose new restrictions on patent applicants and became the subject of a drawn-out court battle in Tafas v. Doll have been rescinded, the USPTO said Thursday. http://www.law360.com/articles/127342 http://www.law360.com/articles/127293 GlaxoSmithKline has filed a suit in federal court challenging the validity of a patent belonging to rival Genentech Inc. as it prepares to release a cancer drug. http://www.law360.com/articles/127293 http://www.law360.com/articles/126592 Giving heart to the pharmaceutical industry, the European Union’s highest court has ordered regulators to reconsider whether GlaxoSmithKline PLC should be exempted from antitrust law and allowed to raise prices against discounted trade among member countries. http://www.law360.com/articles/126592 http://www.law360.com/articles/126727 European Commission officials raided several major drug manufacturers on Tuesday, reportedly including Sanofi-Aventis SA, as part of an investigation into anti-competitive practices. http://www.law360.com/articles/126727 http://www.law360.com/articles/125238 GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday it had recalled a batch of Cervarix after learning that a 14-year-old girl in the United Kingdom who was vaccinated with the cervical cancer vaccine had died. http://www.law360.com/articles/125238 http://www.law360.com/articles/125139 Following a recent rash of mergers, the top European Union competition official on Tuesday said pharmaceutical companies should “look out” for investigations in the coming months. http://www.law360.com/articles/125139