Court Opinion

ID: 9479005
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 07:05:53.871967+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:46:46.441587
License: Public Domain

BISSELL, Circuit Judge,
dissenting.
I would affirm the district court’s decision that the claims at issue in United States Patent No. 3,781,430 (’430) were not shown to have been obvious under 35 U.S. C. § 103 (1982). The district court concluded that a combination of amiloride and hy-drochlorothiazide as claimed in the ’430 patent was merely “obvious to try” based on the prior art. Merck & Co., Inc. v. Biocraft Laboratories, Inc., 690 F.Supp. 1376, 1381 (D.N.J.1988) (citing In re Geiger, 815 F.2d 686, 688, 2 USPQ2d 1276, 1278 (Fed.Cir.1987) (rejecting “obvious to try” as the standard for determining obviousness)).
Obviousness, a question of law, is based on underlying factual inquiries. See Uniroyal, Inc. v. Rudkin-Wiley Corp., 837 F.2d 1044, 1050, 5 USPQ2d 1434, 1438 (Fed.Cir.), cert. denied, — U.S. -, 109 S.Ct. 75, 102 L.Ed.2d 51 (1988). The parties agree that the closest prior art to the ’430 patent is United States Patent No. 3,313,-813 (’813). Additionally, the majority opinion does not “quarrel with the factual findings of the district court.”
In pertinent part the district court stated:
The ’813 patent discloses appropriately 120 pyrazinoylguanidine compounds. There is no indication in the patent that amiloride is the preferred compound. Thus, a person skilled in the art, would not be taught by the ’813 patent that amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide should be combined to produce the effects as set forth in the ’430 patent. The ’813 patent does not describe or forecast the effects that the combined drug would have on sodium excretion, potassium excretion and ratio of sodium excretion to potassium excretion. A composition must be assessed for obviousness only after consideration of its chemical structure as well as its pharmaceutical and biological properties. In short, while the ’813 patent “suggests” exploration of combinations of potassium sparing guanidine with potassium losing diuretics, such as hydrochlorothiazide, it does not “teach” the combinations claims in the ’430 patent.
Nor does it teach the specific ratios of the combinations as outlined in Claims 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the ’430 patent. Those claims are sufficiently non-obvious so as to sustain the validity of the patent. Since the ’813 patent discloses in excess of 120 pyrazinoylguanidine and 10 possible potassium losing diuretics, there are more than 1200 possible combinations, of which the combination of Amiloride and Hydrochlorothiazide would be one. And there is no indication in the ’813 patent as to the preference for amiloride as opposed to any other pyrazinoylguani-dine compound, nor hydroclorothiozide [sic] as opposed to other diuretics. Nor is there any hint as to the proportions that would be contained in the mixture. Again, while the ’813 patent might titillate one’s desire to experiment, it clearly does not teach and thereby make obvious the claims as outlined in Claims 2, 3, 5 and 6 of the ’430 patent.
Merck, 690 F.Supp. at 1383-84.
The majority opinion incorrectly states that the district court found “the combination of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide was disclosed in the ’813 patent.” The *811district court, in fact, found that the ’813 patent disclosed “in excess of 120 pyrazi-noylguanidine and 10 possible potassium losing diuretics, [resulting in] more than 1200 possible combinations, of which the combination of Amiloride and Hydrochlo-rothiazide would be one.” Id. The ’813 patent does not disclose a diuretic composition containing amiloride and hydrochlo-rothiazide.
After examining the scope and content of the prior art, the district court found that the ’813 patent does not (1) teach one of ordinary skill in the art a preference for amiloride, hydrochlorothiazide, or their combination, (2) “describe or forecast the effects that the combined drug would have on sodium excretion, potassium excretion and ratio of sodium excretion to potassium excretion,” and (3) teach the specific ratio limitations of the claims in suit. Id. Additionally, the district court determined that the ’813 patent only suggests “exploring” combinations of potassium sparing and potassium losing diuretics, and that the prior art does not teach one of ordinary skill what is claimed in the ’430 patent. Id. I agree. The claimed invention would not have been obvious in view of prior art that does no more than suggest experimenting with over 1200 combinations to come up with the right one.
The meaning to one of ordinary skill in the art of the ’813 patent was extensively explored at trial. Based upon this testimony, the district court found that Merck’s expert, the inventor of hydrochlorothiazide, “most closely represented] the hypothetical person skilled in the art.” Id. at 1382. After reviewing the prior art, Merck’s expert testified that in 1966 the combination of amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide would not have been obvious, and if combined, he would not have expected the results achieved.
In examining secondary considerations, the district court found “uncontroverted evidence” of commercial success, id. at 1385 n. 4, but made no express findings on unexpected results. Yet the majority, after extended discussion, finds no unexpected results. Absent more definitive findings by the district court, the basis for the majority’s statement escapes me.
Hindsight is not the standard for determining obviousness. See, e.g., Uniroyal, 837 F.2d at 1050-51, 5 USPQ2d at 1438. Bits and pieces of the invention claimed in the ’430 patent can be pointed to in the prior art, but only if one is armed with hindsight knowledge. See id. (stating that hindsight reconstruction using the claimed invention as a blueprint is improper). The majority’s opinion does not disturb the district court’s factual findings. Based on these findings, I cannot agree with the majority’s conclusion that the claims of the ’430 patent would have been obvious. Accordingly, I would affirm the district court’s judgment.