Andrulis Pharmaceuticals Corp. v. Celgene Corp.

Filing 155

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS re 85 DENYING MOTION to Dismiss for Failure to State a Claim ; MOTION to Dismiss Count IV of Counterclaims and Strike Ninth Affirmative Defense filed by Andrulis Pharmaceuticals Corp.. Please note that when filing Objections pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 72(b)(2), briefing consists solely of the Objections (no longer than ten (10) pages) and the Response to the Objections (no longer than ten (10) pages). No further briefing shall be permitted with respect to objections without leave of the Court. Objections to R&R due by 8/3/2015. Signed by Judge Mary Pat Thynge on 7/16/15. (kjk)

IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE

ANDRULIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORP., :
Plaintiff,
v.

C. A. No. 13-1644-RGA

CELGENE CORP.,
Defendant.

REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION

I.

INTRODUCTION
On October 2, 2013 Andrulis Pharmaceuticals Corp. ("plaintiff') filed this action

against Celgene Corp. ("defendant"), alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No.
6, 140,346 ("the '364 patent"), seeking declaratory judgment of defendant's willful and
deliberate infringement, including enhanced damages, compensatory damages, and
costs. On March 10, 2015, defendant amended its answer to include Count IV of its
counterclaim, seeking declaratory judgment of the unenforceability of the '346 patent
due to inequitable conduct, and a ninth affirmative defense, also alleging that the '346
patent is unenforceable due to inequitable conduct. 1
Pending before the court is plaintiffs motion to dismiss Count IV of defendant's
counterclaim for failure to state a claim of inequitable conduct under FED. R. C1v. P.
12(b)(6) and to strike defendant's ninth affirmative defense for asserting an insufficient

Compare D.I. 24 at 29-30, counterclaims mf 7-21 with D.I. 79 at 28-29,
7-42.
counterclaims
1

mr

defense of inequitable conduct under FED. R. C1v. P. 12(f). 2 The court has subject
matter jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. §§ 1331 and 1338(a) because this action
arises under 35 U.S.C. § 1 et seq., 3 and personal jurisdiction over defendant, who is a
Delaware corporation. 4 Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(c) and 1400(b). 5
This Report and Recommendation is issued pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1 )(B), FED.

R. C1v. P. 72(b)(1 ), and D. DEL. LR 72.1. 6 For the reasons stated below, it is
recommended that plaintiff's motion be denied.

II.

BACKGROUND

A.

Parties

Plaintiff is a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of
Maryland, with its principal place of business in Rehoboth, Delaware. 7 Defendant is a
Delaware corporation, with its principal place of business in Summit, New Jersey. 8

B.

Patent-in-suit

Plaintiff asserts that it currently holds and has held all rights to the patent-in-suit
2

See D.I. 86at1.
See 28 U.S.C. § 1331 (federal question jurisdiction); § 1338(a) ("The district
courts shall have original jurisdiction of any civil action arising under any Act of
Congress relating to patents .... ").
4
See Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 482 (1985) (finding
personal jurisdiction where the defendant "availed himself of the benefits and
protections" of the forum's laws).
5
28 U.S.C. § 1391 (c) ("[A]n entity ... , whether or not incorporated, shall be
deemed to reside, if a defendant, in any judicial district in which such defendant is
subject to the court's personal jurisdiction with respect to the civil action .... ");
§ 1400(b) ("Any civil action for patent infringement may be brought in the judicial district
where the defendant resides, or where the defendant has committed acts of
infringement and has a regular and established place of business.").
6
28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1 )(B); FED. R. C1v. P. 72(b)(1 ); D. DEL. LR 72.1.
7
D.I. 79, counterclaims~ 2.
8
Id. at~ 1.
3

2

by assignment from inventors Peter J. Andrulis, Jr. ("Andrulis") and Murray W. Drulak
("Drulak") since the issuance of the '346 patent's from the United States Patent and
Trademark Office ("PTO") on October 31, 2000. 9 The '346 patent, titled "Treatment of
Cancer with Thalidomide Alone or in Combination with Other Anti-Cancer Agents,"
claims a "novel method for the treatment of certain cancers, including multiple
myeloma, which comprises administering therapeutically-effective amounts of the drug
thalidomide in combination with an alkylating agent," such as cisplatin or carboplatin. 10
During the review of the corresponding application ('"813 application") of the '346
patent, the examiner initially rejected claims "directed to a combination of thalidomide
and cisplatin (an alkylating agent) as obvious over U.S. Patent No. 5,399,363 to
Liversidge et al. ('Liversidge')," which disclosed that "anticancer agents can be used ...
in combination" and that thalidomide and cisplatin are among the anticancer agents. 11
The examiner concluded that evidence demonstrating a "greater than additive effect"
was necessary to overcome the obviousness rejection. 12
In response to the Office Action, the claims were amended to require an
"enhanced effective amount" of thalidomide. Appendix A was attached to the
Response to illustrate "the success of thalidomide in combination with anticancer
agents" in a way not taught by the Liversidge Patent. 13 Appendix A included the
D.I. 12 ml 12-13.
Id. at ml 12, 14.
11
Id. (citing Ex. 1, ANDRULIS-00000094).
12
Id.; see also Classified Cosmetics, Inc. v. Del Laboratories, Inc., 208 F. App'x
939, 942 (Fed. Cir. 2006) (A greater than additive effect occurs where "the effect of the
combination [is] greater than that of an equivalent amount of either component by
itself.").
13
D.I. 79, counterclaims 1f 28 (quoting Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000101-103).
9

10

3

following:
(1)

1996 NYU Proposed Study Concept Sheet, which proposed a
Phase I/II study "to document [the] safety and potential efficacy of
the combination" of thalidomide and carboplatin (an alkylating
agent). 14

(2)

1996 NYU Study Interim Report, which outlined the study's
parameters and included both the interim data results 15 and a
"Conclusions" heading appearing without the substance of the
conclusions. 16

(3)

1999 Dow Jones Article Regarding Celgene, which reported the
results of similar studies. 17

(4)

1999 USA Today Article Regarding Thalidomide, which reported
the updated data results of the 1996 NYU Study and mentioned
that NYU researchers were "blown away" by the results. 18

On December 27, 1999, the Response was submitted to the PTO, and ultimately the
'346 patent was issued on October 31, 2000.

C.

19

I
I

Defendant's Counterclaim and Defense

Defendant alleges inequitable conduct as both a counterclaim and defense. 20

14

D.I. 79, Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000105-106.
15
Id. at Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000107 (citing a 40-53% response rate for
carboplatin alone, while finding a 70% (12/17) response rate for the combination of
thalidomide and carboplatin).
16
Id. at Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000108 (omitting the conclusion that both the safety
profile and response rate of the combination "is similar to that seen with carboplatin
alone at the dose level used").
17
Id. at Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000109-111 (citing a 32-36% response rate for
thalidomide alone and a 75% response rate for thalidomide and chemotherapy
together, according to other studies).
18
Id. at Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000113 (showing a 70% (37/53) response rate and
increased survival time from 11 to 40 weeks for the combination of thalidomide and
carboplatin, and citing another study in which researchers found a 50% response rate
for thalidomide alone).
19
Id. at Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000103; D.I. 12 mJ 12-13.
20
D.I. 79 at 28-29, counterclaims
7-42.

mr

4

I
I
~

I
I

Defendant asserts that the inventors Andrulis and Drulak, as well as prosecution
counsel, Isaac Angres ("Angres"), were "subject to a duty of candor before the PTO
during [the] prosecution of the '346 patent," including the '813 application. 21 Defendant
avers that Andrulis and Angres engaged in inequitable conduct when they submitted
the December 27, 1999 Response to the PTO, which omitted the substantive
conclusions of the 1996 NYU interim report, and purported to show the "enhanced"
effect of thalidomide and carboplatin. 22 Although the interim report attached to the
Response contained a heading labeled "Conclusions" at the bottom of its second page,
the report's third page, containing the substance of the conclusions, was not submitted
to the PT0. 23
Defendant deems this omission material because the report's third page stated
that the combination had a "similar effect," while plaintiff argued that the combination
had an enhanced effect. 24 As such, defendant insists this omission was done
deliberately "with the specific intent to deceive the PTO into believing that the claimed
combination had an 'enhanced' effect." 25 Defendant maintains that but for this
omission, the PTO would not have issued the '346 patent. 26

Ill.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

A.

Motion to Dismiss Under Rule 12(b)(6)

FED. R. C1v. P. 12(b)(6) governs a motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim

21
22

23
24
25
26

Id. at mf 24-25.
D.I. 79, counterclaims mf 30, 35-36.
Id. at Ex. 2, ANDRULIS-00000108-109.
Id. at counterclaims mf 35-36.
Id. at 1f 40.
Id. at 1f 41 .

5

upon which relief can be granted. The purpose of a motion under Rule 12(b)(6) is to
test the sufficiency of the claim, not to resolve disputed facts or decide the merits of the
case. 27 "The issue is not whether a claimant will ultimately prevail, but whether the
claimant is entitled to offer evidence to support the claims." 28 A motion to dismiss may
be granted only if, after "accepting all well-pleaded allegations in the [pleading] as true,
and viewing them in the light most favorable to the [claimant], [the claimant] is not
entitled to relief." 29 While the court draws all reasonable factual inferences in the light
most favorable to the claimant, it rejects unsupported allegations, "bald assertions," and
"legal conclusions." 30
To survive a motion to dismiss, a claimant's factual allegations must be sufficient
to "raise a right to relief above the speculative level .... "31 Claimants are therefore
required to provide the grounds of their entitlement to relief beyond mere labels and

27

Kost v. Kozakiewicz, 1 F.3d 176, 183 (3d Cir. 1993).
Jn re Burlington Coat Factory Sec. Litig., 114 F.3d 1410, 1420 (3d Cir. 1997)
(internal quotations and citations omitted); see a/so Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550
U.S. 544, 563 n.8 (2007) ("[W]hen a complaint adequately states a claim, it may not be
dismissed based on a district court's assessment that the plaintiff will fail to find
evidentiary support for his allegations or prove his claim to the satisfaction of the
factfinder.").
29
Maio v. Aetna, Inc., 221 F.3d 472, 481-82 (3d Cir. 2000) (citing Burlington, 114
F.3d at 1420).
30
Morse v. Lower Merion Sch. Dist., 132 F.3d 902, 906 (3d Cir. 1997) (citations
omitted); see a/so Schuylkill Energy Res., Inc. v. Pa. Power & Light Co., 113 F.3d 405,
417 (3d Cir. 1997) (citations omitted) (rejecting "unsupported conclusions and
unwarranted inferences"); Associated Gen. Contractors of Cal., Inc. v. Cal. State
Council of Carpenters, 459 U.S. 519, 526 (1983) ("It is not ... proper to assume
[plaintiff] can prove facts that it has not alleged or that the defendants have violated the
... laws in ways that have not been alleged.").
31
Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (citations omitted); see a/so Victaulic Co. v. Tieman,
499 F.3d 227, 234 (3d Cir. 2007) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555).
28

6

conclusions. 32 Although heightened fact pleading is not required, "enough facts to state
a claim to relief that is plausible on its face" must be alleged. 33 A claim has facial
plausibility when a claimant pleads factual content sufficient for the court to draw the
reasonable inference that the opposing party is liable for the misconduct alleged. 34
Once stated adequately, a claim may be supported by showing any set of facts
consistent with the allegations in the complaint. 35 Courts generally consider only the
allegations contained in the pleading, exhibits attached to the pleading, and matters of
public record when reviewing a motion to dismiss. 36

B.

Motion to Strike Under Rule 12(f)

Pursuant to FED. R. C1v. P. 12(f), on a party's motion, "[t]he court may strike from
a pleading any insufficient defense" 37 or any affirmative defense "where a party has
failed to state a corresponding claim upon which relief can be granted." 38 Therefore, a
defendant's counterclaim and affirmative defense for inequitable conduct "rise or fall
together." 39 Additionally, the court must construe all facts in favor of the nonmoving
32

See Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 (citing Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286

(1986)).
33

Twombly, 550 U.S. at 570; see also Phillips v. County of Allegheny, 515 F.3d
224, 233 (3d Cir. 2008) ("In its general discussion, the Supreme Court explained that
the concept of a 'showing' requires only notice of a claim and its grounds, and
distinguished such a showing from 'a pleader's bare averment that he wants relief and
is entitled to it."') (quoting Twombly, 550 U.S. at 555 n.3).
34
Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S. Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009) (citing Twombly, 550 U.S. at
556).
35
Twombly, 550 U.S. at 563 (citations omitted).
36
See, e.g., Pension Benefit Guar. Corp. v. White Consol. Indus., Inc., 998 F.2d
1192, 1196 (3d Cir. 1993) (citations omitted).
37
FED. R. C1v. P. 12(f).
38
Wyeth Holdings Corp. v. Sandoz, Inc., No. 09-995-LPS-CJB, 2012 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 26912 at *5 (D. Del. Feb. 3, 2012) (citation omitted).
39
Senju Pharm. Co. Ltd. v. Apotex Inc., 921 F. Supp. 2d 297, 306 (D. Del. 2013)

7

party.4o

C.

Pleading Inequitable Conduct Under Rule 9(b)

Patent applicants and their counsel, or those involved in the preparation and
prosecution of patent applications, owe a duty of candor, honesty and good faith to the
PTO. This duty includes the obligation to disclose information known to patent
applicants or their attorneys, which is material to the examination of the patent
application. 41 Omitted information is deemed material if "but-for'' its omission, the PTO
would not have allowed the patent claim to issue. 42
Because inequitable conduct is a claim sounding in fraud, it must be pied with
particularity under FED. R. C1v. P. 9(b). Therefore, the pleading must identify "the
specific who, what, when, where and how" of the material omission, by including
"sufficient allegations of underlying facts" from which the court may reasonably infer
that an individual "knew of the withheld material information" and withheld "this
information with a specific intent to deceive the PT0." 43 A reasonable inference is "one
that is plausible and that flows logically from the facts alleged."44

IV.

ANALYSIS
A.

Pied with Particularity

As an initial matter, defendant adequately identifies the "the specific who, what,
40 Proctor & Gamble Co. v. Nabisco Brands, Inc., 697 F. Supp. 1360, 1362
(D. Del 1988) (citations omitted).
41 Elk Corp. of Dallas v. GAF Bldg. Materials Corp., 168 F.3d 28, 30 (Fed. Cir.
1999).
42 Therasense, Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co., 649 F.3d 1276, 1291 (Fed. Cir.
2011 ).
43 Exergen Corp. v. Wal-Mart Stores, 575 F.3d 1312, 1328-29 (Fed. Cir. 2009).
44
Id. at 1329 n.5.

8

--1
when, where and how" of the material omission. 45 Concerning the "who," defendant
identifies Andrulis and Angres, who owe a duty of candor to the PTO, as the individuals
responsible for the omission. 46 Regarding the "what," defendant points to the omission
of the substantive conclusions from the Response, with "when" the omission occurred,
as within the Response submitted to the PTO on December 27, 1999. 47 As for "where"
the omission occurred, defendant cites the incomplete interim report in the Response. 48
Finally, defendant explains "how a reasonable examiner would have used the
information allegedly concealed:" 49 to determine that the combination "did not have [an]
enhanced effect relative to the effect of [carboplatin] alone." 50 Therefore, defendant
pleads inequitable conduct with the requisite particularity.

B.

Material Omission

Defendant also alleges sufficient underlying facts from which the court may
reasonably infer but-for materiality. In Wyeth Holdings Corp. v. Sandoz, Inc., this court
addressed the type of factual allegations sufficient to plead an inequitable conduct
counterclaim and defense. 51 In that case, the patentee's representatives "omitted key
information regarding experimental error rate and discrepancies in data," along with
making other affirmative representations, to evidence the drug's "unexpected results"
and overcome the obviousness rejection. 52 The counterclaim-plaintiff explicitly alleged
45

Exergen, 575 F.3d at 1328-29.
D.I. 79, counterclaims ml 24-25.
47
Id. at ml 35-36.
48 Id.
49
Wyeth Holdings Corp., 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26912, at *10.
50
D.I. 79, counterclaims ml 30, 35-36.
51
Wyeth, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26912, at *1-2.
52
Id. at *3.
46

9

but-for materiality, introduced facts regarding the omissions and representations
constituting the material representation, and noted that the examiner relied on the latter
in deciding to issue the patent. 53 The court determined that the counterclaim-plaintiff
asserted sufficient underlying facts in support of inequitable conduct. 54
In the instant matter, defendant contends that but-for the omission of the
conclusions, the patent would not have issued. 55 In support, it notes the conclusion by
the researchers that the response rate for the combination was similar to the
administration of carboplatin alone. 56 Defendant further points to plaintiff's omission of
that conclusion and representation that the interim results instead showed an enhanced
effect, on which the examiner relied in deciding to issue the '346 patent. 57 Defendant
reasons that absent such conduct, the patent would not have issued. 58 Therefore, it
properly alleges a material omission.
Plaintiff's arguments are unpersuasive. First, it claims that the examiner did not
rely on the interim results to support its finding of enhanced effect because the interim
results documented the treatment's safety rather than its efficacy. 59 The study,
however, explicitly states that its purpose was "to document [the] safety and potential
efficacy of the combination."60

Plaintiff further argues that the examiner did not rely on the interim results

53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60

Id. at *9-11.
Id.
D.I. 79, counterclaims~ 41.
Id. at~ 37.
Id. at ml 30-33.
Id. at ~ 41 .
D.I. 86 at 8-9. D.I. 79, Ex. 2 at ANDRULIS-00000106.
D.I. 79, Ex. 2 at ANDRULIS-00000106, (emphasis added).

10

because the "updated material results" were provided in the Response. 61 Nevertheless,
plaintiff fails to show that it ever submitted an updated report to the PTO. Rather,
plaintiff asks the court to assume that the examiner extracted and relied on the updated
results from the USA Today article provided in the Response. 62 At this stage, the court
is unwilling to make this assumption, and instead finds it equally reasonable to infer that
the examiner relied on the incomplete interim report.
Plaintiff also maintains the omission of the interim conclusions was immaterial
because both the interim results and subsequent updated results were included in the
Response. 63 Consistent with the findings in Wyeth, however, a patentee's duties of
candor, good faith, and honesty are not relieved merely because data was provided to
the examiner during his review. Otherwise, this would lead to the contrary and perverse
result that applicants could freely mischaracterize materials provided to the PTO.
Plaintiff next insists that the researchers' amazement with the updated results
evidences the immateriality of the interim conclusions. 64 Because the examiner was
never advised that the researchers concluded there was a similar effect at the interim
stage, an inference of but-for materiality remains reasonable. 65
Plaintiff lastly argues that defendant's reliance on Wyeth is misplaced because
the case concerned "affirmative, material, misrepresentations,'' while the present matter

61

D.I. 86 at 7.
Id.
Id. (Plaintiff assumes PTO extracted and relied on updated results from USA
Today article included in Response).
64 Id.
65
Id. at 10.
62
63

11

involves an omission. 66 Its reasoning is flawed. Wyeth addressed both affirmative
representations and omissions. 67 Although Wyeth found that "arguments to the
[e]xaminer that are not unreasonable interpretations or demonstrably false ... do not
amount to 'misrepresentations,"' plaintiff misconstrues its application by suggesting that
omitting conclusions contrary to the applicant's position as acceptable where the data
does not provide the examiner notice of those findings. 68 The court concludes that
defendant properly alleges a material omission.

C.

Intent to Deceive

Defendant sufficiently alleges that plaintiff knew of and withheld material
information with a specific intent to deceive the PTO. It is undisputed that plaintiff knew
of the substantive conclusions of the interim report, which were not submitted to the
examiner. Defendant relies on several underlying facts as evidence of plaintiff's intent
to deceive. These facts include: the interim conclusions were not submitted to the
examiner, the conclusions found a similar, rather than enhanced, response rate, and
plaintiff argued the interim data showed an enhanced effect. 69 Defendant concludes
such conduct sufficiently demonstrates, under Rule 12(b)(6), an intent to deceive the
examiner into finding that the combination of thalidomide and an alkylating agent
resulted in an enhanced effect in treating certain cancers. Although plaintiff contends
this is a conclusory assertion of deceptive intent, the court finds the factual allegations
66

D.I. 115 at 6.
Wyeth Holdings Corp. v. Sandoz, Inc., No. 09-995-LPS-CJB, 2012 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 26912, at *1-2 (D. Del. Feb. 3, 2012).
68
See Wyeth, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 26912, at *11 (finding omission material
where examiner had no way of independently learning the omitted information).
69
D.I. 79, counterclaims ml 30, 35, 37.
67

12

sufficient to reasonably infer an intent to deceive.
Plaintiff maintains that an inference of deceptive intent is unreasonable. Plaintiff
argues that by including the conclusions heading on the second page, it gave the
examiner notice of the omission of the third page, since no conclusions followed. 70
Plaintiff also contends that including the heading evidences a lack of intent to conceal
this omission from the examiner. 71 Even if the heading gave the examiner notice of an
omission, it did not provide the examiner notice that the omitted information conflicted
with plaintiff's characterization of the data. Further, the fact that plaintiff included the
heading does not discredit defendant's assertion that plaintiff intended to conceal the
substance of the conclusions. Because plaintiff conveniently omitted the only page
containing information contrary to its position, the court finds an inference of deceptive
intent reasonable.

D.

Motion to Strike
The court may strike an affirmative defense "where a party has failed to state a

corresponding claim upon which relief can be granted,"72 thereby linking defendant's
counterclaim and affirmative defense for inequitable conduct.73 Since the court finds
that defendant adequately states a claim of inequitable conduct, plaintiff's motion to
strike defendant's affirmative defense fails for the reasons expressed above.

70

See D.I. 79, Ex. 2 at ANDRULIS-00000108-109, (interim report attached to
Response included heading labeled "Conclusions" at the bottom of its second page, but
failed to include report's third page containing the substance of the conclusions).
71
D.I. 86 at 8.
72
Wyeth Holdings Corp. v. Sandoz, Inc., No. 09-995-LPS-CJB, 2012 U.S. Dist.
LEXIS 26912 at *5 (D. Del. Feb. 3, 2012) (citation omitted).
73
Senju Pharm. Co. Ltd. v. Apotex Inc., 921 F. Supp. 2d 297, 306 (D. Del. 2013).
13

V.

RECOMMENDED DISPOSITION
Consistent with the findings herein, it is recommended that plaintiff's motion to

dismiss Count IV of defendant's counterclaim for failure to state a claim of inequitable
conduct under FED. R. C1v. P. 12(b)(6) and to strike defendant's ninth affirmative
defense for asserting an insufficient defense of inequitable conduct under FED. R. C1v.
P. 12(f) (D.I. 85) be denied.
Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1 )(A) and (8), FED. R. C1v. P. 72(b) and D. DEL.
LR 72.1, any objections to the Report and Recommendation shall be filed within
fourteen ( 14) days limited to ten ( 10) pages after being served with the same. Any
response is limited to ten (10) pages.
The parties are directed to the court's Standing Order in Non-Pro Se matters for
Objections Filed under FED. R. C1v. P. 72 dated October 9, 2013, a copy of which is
available on the court's website, www.ded.uscourts.gov.

Dated: July 16, 2015

Isl
Marv Pat Thynge
UNITED STATES MAGISTRATE JUDGE

14