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INTHEUNITEDSTATESDISTRICTCOURTFORTHEDISTRICTOFDELAWARESANTARUS,INC.,andTHECURATORS)
OF
THEUNIVERSITYOFMISSOURI,)
)
Plaintiffs,)
)
~
)
)
PARPHARMACEUTICAL,INC.,)
)
Defendant.)
)
C.A.No.07-551-GMS
MEMORANDUM
I.
INTRODUCTION
In
thisconsolidatedpatentinfringementaction,plaintiffsSantarus,Inc.("Santarus")andtheCurators
of
theUniversity
of
Missouri(the"University")(collectively,"theplaintiffs")allegethatdefendantParPharmaceutical,Inc.'s("Par")proposedgenericpharmaceuticalproductinfringestheassertedclaims
of
thepatents-in-suit.
(D.1.
1.)Thecourtheldafive-daybenchtrialinthismatteronJuly
13
throughJuly17,2009.(D.!.168-172.)Afterthefourthday
of
trial,thecourtruledthatPar'sproposedproductsinfringedtheassertedclaims
of
thepatents-in-suit.(SeeD.!.
171
at936-941.)Presentlybeforethecourtaretheparties'post-trialproposedfindings
of
factandconclusions
of
lawconcerningthevalidityandenforceability
of
thepatents-in-suit.(D.!.173-174.)PursuanttoFed.
R.
Civ.
P.
52(a),andafterhavingconsideredtheentirerecordinthiscaseandtheapplicablelaw,thecourtconcludesthat:(A)thepatents-in-suitareinvalidduetoobviousness;(B)thepatents-in-suitarenotunenforceableduetoinequitableconduct;and(C)anawardforattorneys'feesandcostsisnotwarrantedinthiscase.Thecourtfurtherconcludesthat
certainassertedclaims
of
thepatents-in-suitareinvalidbecausetheylackawrittendescription,orarenotentitledtothefilingdate
of
earlierapplicationsbecausethedisclosuresinthepriorapplications
do
notmeetthewrittendescriptionrequirement.Thesefindings
of
factandconclusions
of
lawaresetforthinfurtherdetailbelow.
II.FINDINGSOFFACT
A.
The
Parties
1.
PlaintiffSantarus,Inc.isacorporationorganizedandexistingunderthelaws
of
Delaware,andhasitsprincipalplace
of
businessat
3721
ValleyCentreDrive,SanDiego,CA92130.
(D.1.
152,TabIat
~
1.)
2.
PlaintiffTheCurators
of
theUniversity
of
Missouri
is
thegoverningbody
of
theUniversity
of
Missouri,which
is
apubliccorporationandbodypolitichavingaprincipalplace
of
businessat
321
UniversityHall,Columbia,Missouri65211.(Id.at
~
2.)
3.
DefendantParPharmaceutical,Inc.("Par")
is
acorporationorganizedandexistingunderthelaws
of
Delaware,havingaprincipalplace
of
businessat300TiceBoulevard,WoodcliffLake,NewJersey07677.(Id.at
~
3.)
B.
The
Patents
In
Suit
L
ProsecutionHistory
4.
OnJanuary4,1996,
Dr.
PhillipsfiledU.S.ProvisionalApplicationNo.60/009,608(hereinafter"theProvisionalApplication").(SeeJTX-31.)
5.
TheProvisionalApplicationdescribesapharmaceuticalcomposition"referredt
as
simplifiedomeprazolesolution(SOS)."(Id.at8.)
2
6.
OnJuly
15,
1996,Dr.PhillipsfiledU.S.patentapplicationSer.No.08/680,376(hereinafter,the"'737Application"),whichissued
as
U.S.PatentNo.5,840,737(hereinafter,the"'737patent")onNovember24,1998.(SeeJTX-33.)
7.
OnOctober30,1998,
Dr.
PhillipsfiledU.S.patentapplicationSer.
No.
09/183,422(hereinafter,the"'422Application").(SeeJTX-32.)
8.
TheProvisionalApplication,the'737Application,andthe'422Application(collectively,"thepriorityapplications")sharethefollowingfeatures:•Eachapplicationdescribestheinvention
as
a"pharmaceuticalcomposition"(JTX-31at
8;
JTX-32
at
16;
JTX-33at21.)•The"DETAILEDDESCRIPTION
OF
THEINVENTION"section
of
eachapplicationstatesthatthepharmaceuticalcomposition
is
preparedbymixing:oOmeprazoleorothersubstitutedprotonpumpinhibitors;andoAbicarbonatesalt
of
aGroupIAmetal(JTX-31at
8;
JTX-32at
17;
JTX-33at21.)Thepreferredbicarbonatesalt
is
sodiumbicarbonate(JTX-3lat
9;
JTX-32at
17;
JTX-33at22.)
ii.
ThePatents
9.
OnDecember
3,
2002,theUnitedStatesPatentandTrademarkOffice("PTO")issuedU.S.Patent
No.
6,489,346(the
"'346
Patent"),entitled"SubstitutedBenzimidazoleDosageFormsandMethod
of
UsingSame"totheUniversity,thenamedassignee
of
thenamedinventorJeffrey
O.
Phillips("Dr.Philips").(D.l.152,Tab1at
~
4.)
10.
Theface
of
the'346Patentstatesthat"[t]hisapplicationisacontinuation-in-part
of
U.S.patentapplicationSer.No.091183,422filedonOct.30,1998,nowabandoned,which
is
a
3
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