Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

**Order of the Court (Eighth Chamber) of 9 February 2012 — Novartis v Actavis UK**

**(Case C‑442/11)**

The first subparagraph of Article 104(3) of the Rules of Procedure — Medicinal products for human use — Supplementary protection certificate — Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 — Articles 4 and 5 — Sole active ingredient for which such a certificate is granted — Scope of protection — Medicinal product containing more than one active ingredient, including the active ingredient which is the subject of a certificate

Approximation of laws — Uniform legislation — Industrial and commercial property — Patent right — Supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (European Parliament and Council Regulation No 469/2009, Arts 4
and 5) (see para. 23, operative part)

**Re:**

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
|  | Reference for a preliminary ruling — High Court of Justice (Chancery Division) — Interpretation of Articles 4 and 5 of Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 concerning the supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products (OJ 2009 L 152, p. 1) — Scope of the certificate — Protection only of medicinal products containing the protected active ingredient alone or protection also of medicinal products containing the protected active ingredient in combination with another active ingredient. |

**Operative part**

Articles 4 and 5 of Regulation (EC) No 469/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 May 2009 concerning the
supplementary protection certificate for medicinal products must be interpreted as meaning that, where a ‘product’ consisting
of an active ingredient was protected by a basic patent and the holder of that patent was able to rely on the protection conferred
by that patent for that ‘product’ in order to oppose the marketing of a medicinal product containing that active ingredient
in combination with one or more other active ingredients, a supplementary protection certificate granted for that ‘product’
enables its holder, after the basic patent has expired, to oppose the marketing by a third party of a medicinal product containing
that product for a use of the ‘product’, as a medicinal product, which was authorised before that certificate expired.

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