Novartis' Certican™ patent upheld by European Patent Office

26-02-2001: Novartis announced today that the Opposition Board at the European Patent Office in Munich has upheld the company's European patent for its investigational transplant drug Certican™, which had been opposed by American Home Products (AHP). Certican, which is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials for the inhibition of transplant rejection, was held by the Board to be 'inventive'. This confirmation of the drug's patentability endorses Novartis' program to continue its clinical development.

This is the latest chapter in the European patent dispute with AHP, who allege that Certican infringes patent rights it has licensed.

Novartis is pleased with the latest, very significant development, which underlines non-infringement decisions in Novartis' favour taken recently by the UK Court of Appeal and the District Court in the Hague.

Certican, (also known as 'RAD' or the non-proprietary name 'everolimus') is a novel immunosuppressive molecule, independently invented, patented and developed by Novartis as part of its longstanding commitment towards improving the outcome of transplantation and the quality of life in transplant patients. Novartis is committed to continuing the Certican global development program and to providing a product for worldwide clinical use at the earliest possible time.