Acorda Therapeutics v. Mylan Pharms., 2015-1456 (Fed. Cir. March 18, 2016)
AstraZeneca v. Mylan Pharms, 2015-1460 (Fed. Cir. March 18, 2016)
Where is an ANDA applicant subject to personal jurisdiction when the only act of infringement is "artificial" infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 271(e)(2)(A)? This question has generated a great deal of interest recently--especially since the Supreme Court's Daimler decision two years ago. In a precedential opinion on Friday, the Federal Circuit answered the question and determined that personal jurisdiction exists in any state where the ANDA applicant intends to market its product--essentially everywhere in the United States.
Mylan filed ANDAs in connection with Ampyra® (dalfampridine), Onglyza® (saxagliptin), and Kombiglyze® (saxagliptin/metformin). Acorda markets Ampyra® for the treatment of multiple sclerosis while AstraZeneca markets Onglyza® and Kombiglyze® for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Both Acorda and AstraZeneca sued Mylan in Delaware, and Mylan filed motions to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction in both cases.
Both motions were denied. In the dalfampridine case, Judge Stark held that Mylan was subject to both general and specific personal jurisdiction. In the saxagliptin case, Judge Sleet held that Mylan was subject to specific personal jurisdiction, but not general personal jurisdiction. Mylan sought and obtained interlocutory review by the Federal Circuit of both of those orders. The appeal attracted six amicus filings, including briefs from GPhA, Teva, BIO, and PhRMA.
The Federal Circuit majority opinion limited its analysis to specific personal jurisdiction. The court began with the rule from International Shoe: specific personal jurisdiction may be exercised over a defendant "when the defendant has certain minimum contacts with the forum such that the maintenance of the suit does not offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice." Further, "the minimum contacts requirement focuses on whether the defendant's suit-related conduct creates a substantial connection with the form State."
In short, the Federal Circuit held that specific personal jurisdiction may be exercised over Mylan because "the minimum-contacts standard is satisfied by the particular actions Mylan has already taken--its ANDA filings--for the purpose of engaging in that injury-causing and allegedly wrongful marketing conduct in Delaware."
The fact that the infringement at issue in the cases was "artificial" infringement under 35 U.S.C. § 271(e)(2)(A) was used by the Federal Circuit to support its holding. The court explained that this statute is directed to the real-world consequence of marketing a generic in competition with the brand name drug: "concrete, non-artificial acts of infringement." Having determined that infringement under section 271(e)(2)(A) carries real-world consequences (and is more than an "artificial" construct), the Federal Circuit analogized the lawsuits against Mylan for intended future actions to "suits for retrospective relief based on past acts" and noted that the Supreme Court has defined minimum contacts in those retrospective contexts:
In a formulation worded to address suits for retrospective relief based on past acts, the Supreme Court has said that the minimum-contacts requirement is met when the defendant "purposefully directed" activities at the forum, and the litigation results from alleged injuries that "arise out of or relate to" those activities.
The Federal Circuit explained that Mylan's ANDA filings constituted activities purposefully directed at Delaware and that the lawsuits resulted from injuries that the plaintiffs would sustain by Mylan's activity:
Mylan's ANDA conduct is "suit-related" and has a "substantial connection" with Delaware because the ANDA filings are tightly tied, in purpose and planned effect, to the deliberate making of sales in Delaware (at least) and the suit is about whether that in-State activity will infringe valid patents. Thus, Mylan's ANDA filings constitute formal acts that reliably indicate plans to engage in marketing of the proposed generic drugs. Delaware is undisputedly a State where Mylan will engage in that marketing if the ANDAs are approved. And the marketing in Delaware that Mylan plans is suit-related: the suits over patent validity and coverage will directly affect when the ANDA can be approved to allow Mylan's Delaware marketing and when such marketing can lawfully take place.
Although the majority opinion did not address the issue of general personal jurisdiction, Judge O'Malley's concurring opinion did. Judge O'Malley wrote that a straightforward application of Supreme Court precedent also establishes general personal jurisdiction in these cases. It may be, however, that the question of general personal jurisdiction is now moot given the court's analysis of specific personal jurisdiction.
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