T 0241/95 (Serotonin receptor/ELI LILLY) of 14.6.2000

European Case Law Identifier: ECLI:EP:BA:2000:T024195.20000614
Date of decision: 14 June 2000
Case number: T 0241/95
Application number: 91302599.5
IPC class: A61K 31/135
Language of proceedings: EN
Distribution: A
Download and more information:
Decision text in EN (PDF, 34 KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in: EN
Versions: OJ | Published
Title of application: Use of R-Fluoxetine as selective serotonin IC-receptor ligands
Applicant name: ELI LILLY AND COMPANY
Opponent name: -
Board: 3.3.02
Headnote: I. The selective occupation of a receptor cannot be considered in itself as a therapeutic application; the discovery that a substance selectively binds a receptor, even if representing an important piece of scientific knowledge, still needs to find a practical application in the form of a defined, real treatment of any pathological condition in order to make a technical contribution to the art and to be considered as an invention eligible for patent protection (see reasons, point 3.1.2).
II. When a claim is directed to a further therapeutic application of a medicament and the condition to be treated is defined in functional terms, e.g. any condition susceptible of being improved or prevented by selective occupation of a specific receptor, the claim can be regarded as clear only if instructions, in the form of experimental tests or any testable criteria, are available from the patent documents or from the common general knowledge allowing the skilled person to recognise which conditions fall within the functional definition and accordingly within the scope of the claim (see reasons, point 3.1.1) (following T 68/85, Synergistic herbicides/ CIBA-GEIGY, OJ EPO 1987, 228).
Relevant legal provisions:
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 84
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 54
European Patent Convention 1973 Art 111(1)
Keywords: Main request: clarity of the functional definition (no)
First auxiliary request: novelty (no); therapeutic effect already described in animals
Second auxiliary request: specific diseases never considered by the Examining Division - remittal to the department of first instance
Catchwords:

-

Cited decisions:
T 0068/85
T 0158/96
Citing decisions:
T 1045/98
T 1048/98
T 1031/00
T 0609/02
T 0462/06
T 0385/07
T 1911/08
T 0814/12
T 2321/13
T 2251/14
T 0395/18
W 0018/03
W 0023/03

19 references found.

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EPO Guidelines - F The European Patent Application

EPO Guidelines - G Patentability

Offical Journal of the EPO

Case Law Book: I Patentability

Case Law Book: II Conditions to be met by an Application

General Case Law