Merck Sharp & Dohme B.V., Merck Sharp & Dohme España S.A. v. Laboratorios Leon Farma S.A. & Exeltis Healthcare S.L., Barcelona Commercial Court No. 5, 12 December 2017, Case Docket no. 660/2017

With this decision Barcelona Commercial Court No. 5 revoked the precautionary measures requested by Merck Sharp & Dome and initially granted inaudita parte against Leon Farma & Exeltis Healthcare, due to the deficiencies incurred during the gathering of evidence filed by the plaintiff.

Merck Sharp & Dohme BV and Merck Sharp & Dohme España, S.A. (hereinafter, “MSD”) requested inaudita parte urgent interim relief against Laboratorios Leon Farma S.A. & Exeltis Healthcare, S.L. (hereinafter, “LF”) on the basis of MSD BV’s patent ES 2.171.283 (hereinafter, “ES 283”), the Spanish part of the European patent EP 876.815 B1, which expired on April 9, 2018, and protects a drug delivery system, preferably in a ring-shaped form suitable for vaginal administration, for the simultaneous release of a progestogenic steroid compound and an estrogenic steroid compound in a fixed physiological ratio over a prolonged period of time.

The entire summary can be read here.
A copy of the judgment (in Spanish) can be read here.

Headnote and summary: Luis Fernández-Novoa, HOYNG ROKH MONEGIER