In this article, the Pharma in Brief team curated the most significant topics we covered during 2019. The Canadian pharma and life sciences space saw many developments in 2019. These included major policy initiatives and regulatory changes affecting the industry, driven in part by three high-profile federal objectives: lowering drug prices to move towards national pharmacare, replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and changes to drug approval pathways. There were few pharmaceutical patent…

On December 10, 2019, Canada, the United States, and Mexico agreed to amend the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA, also referred to as USMCA) as the trade agreement proceeds toward ratification in each country. Among other changes, the amended CUSMA no longer requires Canada to extend data protection for biologics to 10 years from the 8 years currently provided under Canadian law. Changes to the CUSMA As we reported, the previous version of CUSMA required two…

The Patented Medicine Prices Review aboard (PMPRB) has extended the deadline for written submissions on new Draft Guidelines until January 31, 2020. Originally, the consultation was scheduled to run until January 20, 2020. Background As we reported, the Board proposed Draft Guidelines to replace its existing price-review practices, including the Compendium of Policies, Guidelines and Procedures. The changes are intended to implement the recent amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations, which come into force…

Today, the PMPRB launched a consultation on Draft Guidelines intended to implement recent amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations. The PMPRB also released a Q&A-style Consultation Backgrounder. Interested parties have 60 days, until January 20, 2020, to make submissions on the Draft Guidelines. Background As we reported, the Government released final amendments to the Patented Medicines Regulations on August 9, 2019. These amendments are scheduled to come into force on July 1, 2020…

The Federal Court of Appeal has provided a detailed review of the proper approach to identifying palpable and overriding errors of fact or mixed fact and law in an appeal concerning the obviousness of two patents. The Court of Appeal concluded that when viewed as a whole, there was no reviewable error in the judgment and dismissed the appeal. Background The underlying action concerned a claim by Teva Canada Limited (Teva) for damages under section…

On a motion for leave to file reply expert reports, the Federal Court has reinforced the rule against case splitting and outlined the circumstances under which reply expert reports are permissible under the Federal Courts Rules. The Court concluded that none of the proposed reply reports put forward by Teva Canada Limited (Teva) in respect of patent validity issues were proper and dismissed the motion. Background This motion arose in the context of an…

In CanMar Foods Ltd. v TA Foods Ltd., 2019 FC 1233, the Federal Court interpreted and applied the new file wrapper estoppel provision, section 53.1 of the Patent Act, RSC 1985, c P-4, for the first time. While CanMar is not a life sciences case, the application of Canada’s new file wrapper estoppel provision has implications for patentees generally. In CanMar, the patentee contended that two elements of the claim at issue were non-essential. The Court reached the opposite…