The inter partes review (IPR) process used to adjudicate patent disputes in the U.S. has had its share of critics, but ongoing patent litigation revolving around nerve stimulation technology between Axonics Inc., and Medtronic plc has disclosed another bone of contention in how IPRs are handled. The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled that a patent holder, Dublin-based Medtronic in this instance, can offer a new claim construction for its disputed patent once an IPR has been instituted, but said also that the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) had erred in not allowing Axonics to respond to the new claim construction, sending the related IPRs back to the PTAB for another look.

Humanwell Healthcare (Group) Co. Ltd. has described new dual microtubule destabilizers (tubulin polymerization inhibitors) and proto-oncogene tyrosine-protein kinase Src inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, actinic keratosis, vitiligo and systemic lupus erythematosus, among others.