`32599
`
`
`
`IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
`FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE
`
`
`GENENTECH, INC.,
`
`
`
`
`
`AMGEN INC.
`
`
`
`
`
`Defendant.
`
`Plaintiff,
`
`
`
`v.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`C.A. No. 18-924-CFC
`
`
`
`
`
`
`CORRECTED VERSION
`FILED: October 23, 2019
`
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`)
`
`
`
`
`
`
`GENENTECH’S OPENING BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF GENENTECH’S
`MOTION TO STRIKE AMGEN’S ELEVENTH AND TWELFTH
`AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSES (AND DISMISS, OR ALTERNATIVELY,
`STRIKE ASSOCIATED COUNTERCLAIMS)
`
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`PUBLIC VERSION FILED: October 24, 2019
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 2 of 38 PageID #:
`32600
`
`
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`The Court Should Reject Amgen’s Effort To Inject An Improper
`
`
`
`II.
`
`
`
`NATURE AND STAGE OF PROCEEDINGS ....................................................... ii
`LEGAL STANDARD ............................................................................................ 3
`ARGUMENT......................................................................................................... 5
`I.
`Inventorship Or Derivation Defense Into This Case At This Late Stage. ...... 5
`A. Amgen Cannot Establish Good Cause Under Rule 16(b)(4). .............. 5
`B.
`Amgen Also Fails To Meet The Rule 15(a) Standard. .......................13
`1.
`Amgen Unduly Delayed..........................................................14
`2.
`Prejudice Genentech. ..............................................................14
`3.
`Amgen’s Amendment Is Futile. ...............................................15
`Inequitable Conduct Defense Into This Case Now. .....................................17
`A. Amgen Cannot Establish Good Cause Under Rule 16(b)(4). .............18
`Amgen Also Fails To Meet The Rule 15(a) Standard. .......................21
`B.
`Amgen Unduly Delayed..........................................................21
`1.
`2.
`Prejudice Genentech. ..............................................................22
`3.
`Amgen’s Proposed Amendment Is Futile. ...............................23
`CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................27
`
`Amgen’s Amendment Would Burden The Court And Unfairly
`
`The Court Should Also Reject Amgen’s Separate Effort To Inject An
`
`Amgen’s Amendment Would Burden The Court And Unfairly
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`i
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 3 of 38 PageID #:
`32601
`
`
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`
`Federal Cases
`
`Page(s)
`
`Akzo N.V. v. ITC,
`808 F.2d 1471 (Fed. Cir. 1986) ........................................................................ 24
`
`Am. Axle & Mfg., Inc. v. Neapco Holdings LLC,
`No. CV 15-1168-LPS, 2017 WL 3888228 (D. Del. Sept. 6, 2017) ............. 11, 21
`
`Applied Mats., Inc. v. Adv. Semiconductor Mats. Am. Inc.,
`C.A. No. 92-20643-RMW, 1994 WL 270714 (N.D. Cal. Apr. 19,
`1994) ............................................................................................................... 27
`
`Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. v. Guardian Indus. Corp.,
`276 F.R.D. 417 (D. Del. 2011) ................................................................... 14, 21
`
`Bos. Sci. Corp. v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp.,
`No. CV 16-275-JFB-SRF, 2018 WL 5043754 (D. Del. Sept. 19,
`2018) ......................................................................................................... 13, 21
`
`Carrier Corp. v. Goodman Glob., Inc.,
`49 F. Supp. 3d 430 ........................................................................................... 18
`
`Compagnie Des Grands Hotels D’Afrique S.A. v. Starwood Capital
`Group Global I LLC, No. CV 18-654-RGA, 2019 WL 4740083 (D.
`Del. Sept. 27, 2019) ..................................................................................... 7, 19
`
`Cumberland Pharm. Inc. v. Mylan Institutional LLC,
`846 F.3d 1213 (Fed. Cir. 2017) ........................................................................ 15
`
`Cureton v. Nat’l Collegiate Athletic Ass’n,
`252 F.3d 267 (3d Cir. 2001) ............................................................................... 4
`
`Digital Control, Inc. v. Charles Mach. Works,
`437 F.3d 1309 (Fed. Cir. 2006) ........................................................................ 23
`
`E.E.O.C. v. Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.,
`211 F.R.D. 225 (S.D.N.Y.2002) ......................................................................... 3
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`ii
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 4 of 38 PageID #:
`32602
`
`
`
`E. Minerals & Chems. Co. v. Mahan,
`225 F.3d 330 (3d Cir. 2000) ................................................................... 2, 13, 21
`
`Eaton Corp. v. Rockwell Intern. Corp.,
`323 F.3d 1344-45 (Fed. Cir. 2003) ................................................................... 15
`
`Elite Entm’t, Inc. v. Khela Bros. Entm’t,
`227 F.R.D. 444 (E.D.Va.2005) .......................................................................... 3
`
`Foman v. Davis,
`371 U.S. 178 (1962) ........................................................................................... 4
`
`Gambro Lundia AB v. Baxter Healthcare Corp.,
`110 F.3d 1573 (Fed. Cir. 1997) ........................................................................ 15
`
`iCeutica Pty Ltd v. Novitium Pharma LLC,
`No. CV 18-599-CFC, 2019 WL 4604029 (D. Del. Sept. 23, 2019) ............ 11, 21
`
`Innogenetics, N.V. v. Abbott Laboratories,
`512 F.3d 1363 (Fed. Cir. 2008) ........................................................................ 24
`
`Jo A. Yochum v. FJW Inv., Inc.,
`715 F. App’x 174 (3d Cir. 2017) ........................................................................ 4
`
`Koken v. GPC Int’l, Inc.,
`443 F. Supp. 2d 631 (D. Del. 2006) ................................................................... 4
`
`Monec Holding AG v. Motorola Mobility, Inc.,
`No. CV 11-798-LPS-SRF, 2013 WL 12218319 (D. Del. Nov. 5,
`2013) ................................................................................................................. 4
`
`Pfizer Inc. v. Teva Pharm. U.S.A., Inc.,
`882 F. Supp. 2d 643 (D. Del. 2012), aff’d sub nom. Pfizer Inc. v.
`Teva Pharm. USA, Inc., 555 F. App’x 961 (Fed. Cir. 2014) ............................. 15
`
`Pfizer Inc. v. Sandoz, Inc.,
`No. 12-654-GMS, 2013 WL 5934635 (D. Del. Nov. 4, 2013) .................... 14, 21
`
`Rothman v. Target Corp.,
`556 F.3d 1310 (Fed. Cir. 2009) ........................................................................ 24
`
`Scott v. Vantage Corp.,
`336 F. Supp. 3d 366 ................................................................................... 13, 21
`
`iii
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 5 of 38 PageID #:
`32603
`
`
`
`Sepracor Inc. v. Teva Pharm. USA, Inc.,
`No. 09–cv–01302 (DMC)(MF), 2010 WL 2326262 (D.N.J. June 7,
`2010) ......................................................................................................... 24, 25
`
`Shane v. Fauver,
`213 F.3d 113 (3d Cir. 2000) ............................................................................... 5
`
`Sirona Dental Sys. Inc. v. Dental Imaging Techs. Corp.,
`No. 10-288-GMS, 2012 WL 3929949 (D. Del. Sept. 10, 2012) ..................... 3, 4
`
`Solomon v. Kimberly-Clark Corp.,
`216 F.3d 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2000) ........................................................................ 15
`
`Therasense, Inc. v. Becton, Dickinson & Co.,
`649 F.3d 1276 (Fed. Cir. 2011) .................................................................. 23, 24
`
`Young v. Lumenis, Inc.,
`492 F.3d 1336 (Fed. Cir. 2007) ........................................................................ 24
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`iv
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 6 of 38 PageID #:
`32604
`
`
`
`NATURE AND STAGE OF PROCEEDINGS
`
`The deadline to amend the pleadings in this case was April 5, 2019. Fact
`
`discovery closed on June 10, 2019. D.I. 44, 196. Nearly six months after the
`
`deadline for amended pleadings and three months after the close of fact discovery,
`
`on September 24, 2019, Amgen added two new affirmative defenses under the
`
`guise of its Answer to Genentech’s Third Amended Complaint, Affirmative
`
`Defenses, and Counterclaims. The new and untimely defenses that Amgen is now
`
`trying to chase are: (1) “improper inventorship/derivation of the ’196, ’379, and
`
`’811 patents”; and (2) “unclean hands/inequitable conduct related to the ʼ869
`(showing changes made to Complaint); D.I. 346 (stipulation detailing nature of
`
`patent.” D.I. 366 (Answer) at 23, 55. Neither of these defenses are related in any
`
`way to the amendments Genentech made to its complaint. D.I. 344 Ex. B
`
`changes). Nor had the parties agreed to such freewheeling amendments when they
`
`stipulated to allow Genentech to file its Third Amended Complaint in order to
`
`address Amgen’s July launch of a Herceptin biosimilar product.1 See D.I. 346. In
`
`
`1 Genentech requested Amgen’s consent to its motion for leave to file an amended
`complaint on July 23, 2019. Ex. A at 3 (Danford email to Counsel (July 23,
`2019)). Following a meet and confer on the issue, Genentech sent Amgen a draft
`of the complaint on August 2, 2019. Id. at 2 (Danford email to Knauss (Aug. 2,
`2019)). Amgen did not respond, and Genentech followed up on August 16, 2019.
`Id. (Danford email to Knauss (Aug. 16, 2019)). The parties had an additional call
`on the issue, and Genentech again followed up seeking Amgen’s consent on August
`26, 2019. Id. at 1 (S. Lin email to Counsel (Aug. 26, 2019)). Finally, on August
`26, 2019, more than a month after Genentech’s first request, Amgen responded that
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 7 of 38 PageID #:
`32605
`
`
`
`fact, during the month-long negotiation of this stipulation, which concluded weeks
`
`after Amgen had received all of the evidence included in its Answer in support of
`
`these new defenses, Amgen never once mentioned its intent to add these
`
`affirmative defenses.
`
`The Court should reject Amgen’s eleventh-hour effort to radically change
`
`the contours of this case, less than nine weeks before trial. To justify such a last-
`
`minute amendment Amgen must show “good cause” for the amendment and for
`
`16(b)(4); E. Minerals & Chems. Co. v. Mahan, 225 F.3d 330, 340 (3d Cir. 2000).
`
`why it failed to amend within the deadline set by the Court. Fed. R. Civ. P.
`
`Amgen cannot show any cause, much less good cause, for its new defenses.
`
`Amgen has known of the facts underlying its untimely defenses for months, if not
`
`years. Allowing Amgen to chase its untimely “derivation” and “inequitable
`
`conduct” defenses now would be unfairly prejudicial to Genentech. Genentech has
`
`not been given any meaningful opportunity to develop its own rebuttal fact or
`
`expert evidence, and it cannot reasonably do so in the weeks remaining before trial,
`
`when the parties are deposing experts, preparing pretrial filings, and getting ready
`
`for the trial.
`
`
`it would not oppose Genentech’s filing of the third amended complaint. Id.
`(Krumplitsch email to S. Lin (Aug. 26, 2019)).
`
`
`
` 2
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 8 of 38 PageID #:
`32606
`
`
`
`LEGAL STANDARD
`
`Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(f) authorizes the Court to “strike from a
`
`pleading an insufficient defense or any redundant, immaterial, impertinent, or
`
`scandalous matter.” Although Amgen was required to file an Answer, at no point
`
`a mere two months before trial. D.I. 346. Because Amgen’s Eleventh and Twelfth
`
`did the parties discuss or agree that Amgen could insert new issues into this action
`
`Affirmative defenses ‒ as well as its invalidity and unenforceability counterclaims
`to the extent they incorporate by reference these new defenses ‒ are unrelated to
`
`the breadth of any amendment made by Genentech to its Third Amended
`
`Complaint, their addition is subject to the “good cause” standard of Rule 16(b)(4)
`
`and requires leave of Court. See, e.g., Elite Entm’t, Inc. v. Khela Bros. Entm’t, 227
`
`F.R.D. 444, 446 & n.3, 4 (E.D.Va.2005) (noting that this approach is “predominant
`
`in case law” and collecting cases); E.E.O.C. v. Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc., 211
`F.R.D. 225, 227 (S.D.N.Y.2002) (collecting cases); see also Sirona Dental Sys. Inc.
`
`v. Dental Imaging Techs. Corp., No. 10-288-GMS, 2012 WL 3929949, at *2 n.3
`
`(D. Del. Sept. 10, 2012).
`
`Under Rule 16(b)(4), the Court should allow an untimely amendment only
`
`when the party seeking it has shown “good cause.” Fed. R. Civ. Pro. 16(b)(4).
`
`Good cause exists when the schedule cannot reasonably be met despite diligence of
`
`the party seeking the extension. See, e.g., Sirona Dental Sys., 2012 WL 3929949 at
`
`
`
` 3
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 9 of 38 PageID #:
`32607
`
`
`
`*4.
`
`Even if good cause is established, a court may deny a party’s amendment if,
`
`for example, the party opposing amendment shows “undue delay, bad faith or
`
`dilatory motive on the part of the movant, repeated failure to cure deficiencies by
`
`amendments previously allowed, undue prejudice to the opposing party by virtue
`
`U.S. 178, 182 (1962); see also Jo A. Yochum v. FJW Inv., Inc., 715 F. App’x 174,
`
`of allowance of the amendment, [or] futility of amendment.” Foman v. Davis, 371
`
`177 (3d Cir. 2017). Delay is “undue” when it puts an unwarranted burden on the
`
`court or prejudices the other party. Cureton v. Nat’l Collegiate Athletic Ass’n, 252
`
`F.3d 267, 273 (3d Cir. 2001). “Undue prejudice occurs ‘when allowing the
`
`amended pleading would (1) require the nonmoving party to expend significant
`
`additional resources to conduct discovery and prepare for trial, (2) significantly
`
`delay the resolution of the dispute, or (3) prevent [a party] from bringing a timely
`
`action in another jurisdiction.’” Monec Holding AG v. Motorola Mobility, Inc., No.
`
`CV 11-798-LPS-SRF, 2013 WL 12218319, at *2 (D. Del. Nov. 5, 2013) (quoting
`
`Long v. Wilson, 393 F.3d 390, 400 (3d Cir. 2004)). “An amendment is futile if it is
`
`frivolous, fails to state a claim upon which relief can be granted, or ‘advances a
`
`claim or defense that is legally insufficient on its face.” Koken v. GPC Int’l, Inc.,
`
`443 F. Supp. 2d 631, 634 (D. Del. 2006). The standard for analyzing futility of an
`
`amendment under Rule 15(a) is the same standard of legal sufficiency applicable
`
`
`
` 4
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 10 of 38 PageID
`#: 32608
`
`
`
`under Rule 12(b)(6). Shane v. Fauver, 213 F.3d 113, 115 (3d Cir. 2000).
`
`ARGUMENT
`
`I. The Court Should Reject Amgen’s Effort To Inject An Improper
`Inventorship Or Derivation Defense Into This Case At This Late Stage.
`
`Amgen’s Answer introduced, for the first time, an affirmative defense
`
`alleging that “the Dosing Patents are invalid for failing to correctly name the
`
`inventors and because the invention recited in the asserted claims was derived from
`
`Dr. Brian Leyland-Jones.” D.I. 366 at ¶ 97. Amgen simply cannot show the
`
`requisite good cause for amending the pleadings when the trial is less than two
`
`months away.
`
`A. Amgen Cannot Establish Good Cause Under Rule 16(b)(4).
`
`Amgen had actual knowledge of Dr. Leyland-Jones’s involvement in the
`
`early testing of the dosing regimen well before the deadline to amend the
`
`pleadings. Amgen
`
`. D.I. 397, Ex. 1 (Knauss Letter to Danford (May 3, 2019)). And,
`
`according to Amgen,
`
`
`
`
`
` Id. Moreover, as discussed
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` Genentech also
`
`in more detail infra, Dr. Leyland-Jones was
`
`
`
` 5
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 11 of 38 PageID
`#: 32609
`
`
`
`produced numerous documents relevant to Dr. Leyland-Jones’s involvement. See,
`
`e.g., D.I. 397, Ex. 3 (); Ex. D (
`
`
`
`). Genentech even
`
`included Dr. Leyland-Jones’s name as a search term for its production of
`
`electronically stored information. See D.I. 397, Ex. 2 (Genentech’s Disclosure
`
`Pursuant to Paragraph 6(b)(ii) of the ESI Order of Plaintiffs’ Non-Inventor
`
`Custodians and Non-Custodial Data Sources, November 27, 2018).
`
`Amgen certainly should have learned about Dr. Leyland-Jones’s
`
`involvement in the genesis of the Dosing Patents (if any)
`
`. At a minimum, one would have expected Amgen
`
`. To the extent Amgen failed
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`,
`
`and to follow up on the information it received in discovery, Amgen cannot use its
`
`own lack of diligence to support a showing of good cause. Amgen then allowed
`
`the deadline to amend the pleadings to pass without comment, without seeking to
`
`schedule depositions with the inventors of the Dosing Patents. And Amgen chose
`
`to wait 18 days after the close of fact discovery to notice its intent to attend the
`
`deposition of Dr. Leyland-Jones that was then scheduled in the related Samsung
`
`
`
` 6
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 12 of 38 PageID
`#: 32610
`
`
`
`Bioepis case (18-cv-1363). D.I. 267. And then, when the Samsung Bioepis case
`
`settled, Amgen chose not to proceed with the deposition. D.I. 397, Ex. 7 (Knauss
`
`email to Passamaneck (July 1, 2019)). Amgen cannot possibly show good cause in
`
`view of its lack of diligence in pursuing this discovery. See, e.g., Compagnie Des
`
`Grands Hotels D’Afrique S.A. v. Starwood Capital Group Global I LLC, No. CV
`
`18-654-RGA, 2019 WL 4740083, at *3 (D. Del. Sept. 27, 2019) (a party cannot
`
`rely on “time pressures of its own making” to justify extending the deadline).
`
`None of the purported evidence Amgen cites to support its allegations adds
`
`anything new to the information Amgen knew or should have known at least by the
`
`close of fact discovery, over three months before it filed its Answer. See D.I. 366
`
`at ¶¶ 116-118, 136-138, 157-159.
`
`First, Amgen cites to several presentations and articles authored by Dr.
`
`Leyland-Jones. D.I. 366 at ¶¶ 116, 118, 136, 138, 157, 159. Amgen cited all but
`
`
`
` Two of the items that
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`three
`
`were not
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` 7
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 13 of 38 PageID
`#: 32611
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` The third article
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Second, Amgen cites to documents produced by Dr. Leyland-Jones on
`
`August 2, 2019 to support its allegation that Dr. Leyland-Jones was a “lead
`
`investigator on the clinical trial to evaluate Herceptin dosing at the precise doses
`
`recited by the asserted claims.” D.I. 366 at ¶¶ 117, 137, 158. That was hardly
`
`news and surely must have come up
`
` For example, Dr. Leyland-Jones was
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` Moreover, in May and early June, three Genentech witnesses
`
`, and Dr. Robert Mass
`
`
`
` 8
`
`
`
`testified to
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 14 of 38 PageID
`#: 32612
`
`
`
`397 Ex. 4 (Mass. Dep. Tr. 359:2-21 (May 30, 2019)); D.I. 397, Ex. 5 (Baughman
`Dep. Tr. at 69:2-14; 71:2-25 (May 9, 2019)); D.I. 397, Ex. 6 (Shak Dep. Tr. at
`
` D.I.
`
`158:17-159:17 (May 11, 2019)). Accordingly, the documents produced by Dr.
`
`Leyland-Jones add nothing new to this evidence.
`
`Third, Amgen cites to an email that Dr. Baughman, one of the inventors of
`
`the Dosing Patents, wrote to Genentech’s outside counsel. In the email, Dr.
`
`Baughman states
`
`
`
`
`
` D.I. 397, Ex. 8 (GNE-BAUGHMAN_000001468-70).
`
`This statement also adds nothing new to the case.
`
`Dr. Baughman had already testified
`
`
`
`D.I. 397, Ex. 4 at 359:2-21; D.I. 397, Ex. 5
`at 69:2-14; 71:2-25; D.I. 397, Ex. 6 at 158:17-159:17. For example, Dr.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Baughman testified
`
`
`
` 9
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 15 of 38 PageID
`#: 32613
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` and therefore cannot serve as good cause to
`
`justify its untimely amendment.
`
`But even if somehow the production of a single paragraph in an email could
`
`serve as an excuse for Amgen’s delay (which it cannot), Amgen still waited two
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`10
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 16 of 38 PageID
`#: 32614
`
`
`
`months after the receipt of this email to file an amended answer. Courts in this
`
`district have found that this kind of delay is not diligent. See, e.g., Am. Axle &
`
`Mfg., Inc. v. Neapco Holdings LLC, No. CV 15-1168-LPS, 2017 WL 3888228, at
`
`*4 (D. Del. Sept. 6, 2017) (holding no due diligence where party received
`
`when it received the documents and it moved to amend); iCeutica Pty Ltd v.
`
`documents after deadline for amended pleadings, but waited four months between
`
`Novitium Pharma LLC, No. CV 18-599-CFC, 2019 WL 4604029, at n.6 (D. Del.
`
`Sept. 23, 2019) (declining to decide whether defendant acted diligently after
`
`purportedly discovering plaintiffs claim construction at the Markman hearing,
`
`which resulted in new indefiniteness defense, but noting with disapproval that
`
`“despite making its intent to amend known at the Markman hearing, [d]efendant
`
`still waited an additional eight (8) weeks to file the instant motion”).
`
`In Amgen’s opposition to Genentech’s motion for a protective order, Amgen
`
`cited one additional piece of information that, according to Amgen, supports its
`
`derivation theory. D.I. 412 at 1. Changing tactics yet again, Amgen now appears
`
`to be suggesting that it was not just Dr. Leyland-Jones who invented the Dosing
`
`Patents but an entire “group of doctors including Dr. Leyland-Jones and two Roche
`
`employees.” Id. at 1. To support the most recent incarnation of Amgen’s
`
`derivation narrative, Amgen cites the deposition testimony of Dr. Karen Gelmon
`
`(Genentech’s expert in this case). But Dr. Gelmon did not testify that
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`11
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 17 of 38 PageID
`#: 32615
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
` Ex. G (Gelmon
`
`Dep. Tr. at 60:9-13, 104:25-105:22 (Oct. 7, 2019)). Dr. Gelmon did not
`
`.2 Thus, Dr. Gelmon’s testimony regarding
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Moreover, Dr. Gelmon’s new testimony is duplicative of information that
`
`Amgen has had for months. For example, Dr. Gelmon’s new testimony was very
`
`similar to the testimony she gave in a deposition in the inter partes review
`
`
`2 Indeed, Dr. Gelmon’s testimony is entirely consistent with all of the evidence in
`the case - namely, that
`
`
`
`
`
`
`See, e.g., Ex.s H - L (Genentech Supplemental Response to Interrogatory No. 2
`(citing
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`.
`
`
`12
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 18 of 38 PageID
`#: 32616
`
`
`
`proceedings related to the dosing patent, a transcript of which was provided to
`
`Amgen in January 2019.3 Ex. M (Gelmon Dep. Tr. (Mar. 1, 2018), GNE-
`
`HER_001441055-1207) at 16:17-17:4, 36:11-37:1. Therefore, the new testimony
`
`cannot justify Amgen’s untimely amendment.
`
`The deadline to amend pleadings, as well as the close of fact discovery,
`
`passed months ago. Yet Amgen now seeks to add an entirely new affirmative
`
`defense to its case. Amgen has not provided any justification for this delay that
`
`would rise to the level of good cause. Nor could it: Amgen had all the information
`
`it needed to pursue this defense within the deadlines set by the Court’s Scheduling
`
`Order but failed to do so. It cannot use an untimely amendment to remedy its own
`
`lack of diligence.
`
`B. Amgen Also Fails To Meet The Rule 15(a) Standard.
`
`Because Amgen fails to meet the “good cause” standard, the Court need not
`
`address the factors considered as part of the Rule 15(a) inquiry. See, e.g., Bos. Sci.
`
`Corp. v. Edwards Lifesciences Corp., No. CV 16-275-JFB-SRF, 2018 WL
`
`340); Scott v. Vantage Corp., 336 F. Supp. 3d 366, 378 (D. Del. 2018). But even
`
`5043754, at *4 (D. Del. Sept. 19, 2018) (citing E. Minerals & Chems., 225 F.3d at
`
`
`3 One difference between the two is that, in the inter partes review deposition, after
`stating that
` Dr. Gelmon
`testified that
`Ex. M at 15:5-
`16:16.
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`13
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 19 of 38 PageID
`#: 32617
`
`
`
`derivation defense where (1) Amgen unduly delayed; (2) the amendment would
`burden the court and prejudice Genentech; and (3) the amendment is futile.
`
`under the more liberal Rule 15(a) inquiry, the Court should strike Amgen’s new
`
`1.
`
`Amgen Unduly Delayed.
`
`As explained in detail supra, Amgen delayed unduly in amending its
`
`Answer. Courts in this District have found undue delay in circumstances similar to
`
`those presented here. See, e.g., Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. v. Guardian Indus. Corp.,
`
`filed six months after the deadline to amend and after close of fact discovery);
`
`276 F.R.D. 417, 420 (D. Del. 2011) (finding undue delay when the motion was
`
`Pfizer Inc. v. Sandoz, No. 12-654-GMS, 2013 WL 5934635, at *3–4 (finding no
`
`good cause when the motion was filed six months after the deadline to amend and
`
`after close of fact discovery).
`
`2.
`
`Amgen’s Amendment Would Burden The Court And
`Unfairly Prejudice Genentech.
`
`This case is just weeks away from trial. Forcing Genentech to divert
`
`resources from its trial preparation to address a defense Amgen should have raised
`
`months ago is inherently prejudicial. It is particularly problematic because, were
`
`the new defense allowed, Genentech would have to press for a reopening of fact
`
`and expert discovery to fully investigate it. At the very least, this would entail
`
`additional fact witness testimony from others who were involved in the clinical
`
`trial who could rebut any assertion that Dr. Leyland-Jones originated the idea of
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`14
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 20 of 38 PageID
`#: 32618
`
`
`
`three weekly dosing, as well as supplemental expert discovery to address new
`
`facts. There is simply not enough time to fully investigate this wholly new defense
`
`within the less than two months before trial is set to begin.
`
`3.
`
`Amgen’s Amendment Is Futile.
`
`conception of the invention by another;” and (2) “communication of that
`
`To succeed on a derivation defense, Amgen must establish: (1) “prior
`
`conception to the patentee.” Pfizer Inc. v. Teva Pharm. U.S.A., Inc., 882 F. Supp.
`
`2d 643, 705–06 (D. Del. 2012), aff’d sub nom. Pfizer Inc. v. Teva Pharm. USA,
`
`Inc., 555 F. App’x 961 (Fed. Cir. 2014). These two elements must be proven by
`
`LLC, 846 F.3d 1213, 1217-18 (Fed. Cir. 2017); Solomon v. Kimberly-Clark Corp.,
`
`clear and convincing evidence. Cumberland Pharm. Inc. v. Mylan Institutional
`
`216 F.3d 1372, 1381 (Fed. Cir. 2000). Critically, there must be evidence to show
`
`that the alleged prior inventor disclosed the completed idea to the named
`
`inventor(s) in sufficient detail to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to
`
`1344-45 (Fed. Cir. 2003); Gambro Lundia AB v. Baxter Healthcare Corp., 110 F.3d
`
`practice the claimed invention. Eaton Corp. v. Rockwell Intern. Corp., 323 F.3d
`
`1573, 1577-78 (Fed. Cir. 1997) (reversing in part because the district court applied
`
`the incorrect legal standard when it concluded the party asserting derivation “did
`
`not need to prove communication of the entire conception, but rather only so much
`
`of the invention ‘as would have made it obvious to one of ordinary skill in the
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`15
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 21 of 38 PageID
`#: 32619
`
`
`
`art’”).
`
`Even taking Amgen’s accusations as true, it has failed to meet this standard.
`
`Dr. Leyland-Jones’s authorship of publications, all but one of which were
`
`published after the priority date of the patents, and his role as lead investigator on
`
`clinical trials after the priority date, are not even probative of whether he
`
`conceived of the invention before the priority date. The Patent Trial and Appeals
`
`Board evaluated the only reference Amgen cites that was published before the
`
`priority date and concluded that it did not even render the claim obvious, much less
`
`demonstrate that the authors had completely conceived of the invention. See
`
`Decision (Oct. 3, 2018); Celltrion Healthcare Co. v. Genentech, Inc., IPR2017-
`
`Celltrion Healthcare Co. v. Genentech, Inc., IPR2017-01139, Final Written
`
`01140, Final Written Decision (Oct. 3, 2018). Similarly, Dr. Leyland-Jones’s
`
`involvement in the clinical trial, even as lead investigator, occurred after the
`
`priority date, and does not demonstrate his involvement in conception. And Dr.
`
`Baughman’s statement that
`
`
`
`the invention; and (2) communicated it to Dr. Baughman. To the contrary, as Dr.
`
`the idea of three weekly dosing, much less that he had: (1) completely conceived of
`
` fails to show that Dr. Leyland-Jones originated
`
`Baughman testified,
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`16
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 22 of 38 PageID
`#: 32620
`
`
`
` D.I. 397, Ex. 5 at 71:2-
`
`25. Finally, to the extent Amgen now seeks to rely on the testimony of Dr.
`
`Gelmon, as discussed in detail supra, that testimony is irrelevant to and unable to
`
`support a claim of prior inventorship of the Dosing Patents. There is simply no
`
`merit – as a matter of law – to Amgen’s untimely derivation defense.
`
`II. The Court Should Also Reject Amgen’s Separate Effort To Inject An
`Inequitable Conduct Defense Into This Case Now.
`
`Amgen’s Answer also introduced, for the first time, an affirmative defense
`
`alleging that the ʼ869 patent is unenforceable due to Genentech’s alleged
`defense focuses on Example 8 and Figure 20 of the ʼ869 patent, which describes an
`application that resulted in the ʼ869 patent omitted data that, according to Amgen,
`
`inequitable conduct. D.I. 366 at ¶ 11. Specifically, Amgen’s proposed new
`
`experiment where the inventors used air sparging to prevent reduction of the
`
`disulfide bonds that hold antibodies together. Amgen contends that the patent
`
`disproves the inventors’ claim to have discovered a method to prevent disulfide
`
`bond reduction.
`
`Amgen again failed to ask the Court for leave to make this untimely
`
`amendment, and to present any reason to justify it. Amgen should not be permitted
`
`include a second, entirely new defense where it has failed to show good cause for
`
`not doing so within the deadlines set by the Court’s Scheduling Order, particularly
`
`where the amendment was unduly delayed, would burden the court and unduly
`
`17
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 23 of 38 PageID
`#: 32621
`
`
`
`prejudice Genentech, and would ultimately prove futile.
`
`A. Amgen Cannot Establish Good Cause Under Rule 16(b)(4).
`
`Amgen fails to identify any facts that it did not know, or should not have
`
`known, before the deadline for amendment of the pleadings. The overwhelming
`
`majority of the material that Amgen cites in support of this defense was in its
`
`possession long before the deadline to amend the pleadings. D.I. 366 at ¶ 28.
`
`First, Amgen has had the 2010 Trexler Schmidt article since
`
`
`
` see Carrier
`
`
`
`
`
`Corp. v. Goodman Glob., Inc., 49 F. Supp. 3d 430, 433 (D. Del. 2014) (finding no
`
`good cause where allegation “rest[ed] on a document produced nearly seven
`
`months prior to the filing of the motion for leave . . . as well as upon publicly
`
`available documents.”). This article was also submitted to, and considered by the
`
`patent examiner during prosecution, and so appears in the patent’s file history,
`
`which was produced to Amgen in October 2018. Ex. O (GNE-
`
`HER924_000134369-78). The article was also produced by Genentech as a
`
`standalone document in January 2019. Ex. P (GNE-HER_002466470-79).
`
`Second, the three internal Genentech presentations to which Amgen cites
`
`were all produced to Amgen in November and December 2018. Ex. Q (GNE-
`
`ME1 31774158v.1
`
`
`18
`
`
`
`
`
`Case 1:18-cv-00924-CFC-SRF Document 445 Filed 10/24/19 Page 24 of