T 0158/96 (Obsessive-compulsive-disorder/PFIZER) of 28.10.1998

European Case Law Identifier:

ECLI:EP:BA:1998:T015896.19981028

Date of decision:

28 October 1998

Case number:

T 0158/96

Application number:

90311797.6

IPC class:

A61K 31/135

Language of proceedings:

Distribution:

Download and more information:

Decision text in EN (PDF, 786Â KB)
Documentation of the appeal procedure can be found in the Register
Bibliographic information is available in:	EN
Versions:	Unpublished

Title of application:

A method of treating anxiety-related disorders using sertraline

Applicant name:

Pfizer Inc.

Opponent name:

Board:

3.3.02

Headnote:

Relevant legal provisions:

European Patent Convention 1973 Art 54(1)

Keywords:

Novelty (yes): no possibility of deriving the claimed therapeutic application from the information available that clinical trials are in progress

Catchwords:

The information in a citation that a medicament is undergoing a clinical phase evaluation for a specific therapeutic application is not prejudicial to the novelty of a claim directed to the same therapeutic application of the same medicament if such information is plausibly contradicted by the circumstances and if the content of said citation does not allow any conclusion to be drawn with regard to the actual existence of a therapeutic effect or any pharmacological effect which directly and unambiguously underlies the claimed therapeutic application.

Cited decisions:

Citing decisions: