throbber
UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE
`__________________
`
`BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD
`__________________
`
`SLAYBACK PHARMA LLC,
`
`Petitioner,
`
`v.
`
`EYE THERAPIES, LLC,
`
`Patent Owner.
`
`__________________
`
`Case IPR2022-00142
`U.S. Patent No. 8,293,742
`__________________
`
`DECLARATION OF ROBERT O. WILLIAMS, III, Ph.D.
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 1 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`
`I.
`
`II.
`
`III.
`
`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`Table of Contents
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND ................................................. 1
`Education and Experience ..................................................................... 1
`Documents and Information Considered in Forming Opinions ............ 4
`Scope of Work, Compensation.............................................................. 4
`Testimony as Expert in Last Four Years ............................................... 6
`LEGAL STANDARDS ................................................................................... 6
` Validity .................................................................................................. 6
`1.
`Anticipation ................................................................................. 6
`2.
`Obviousness ................................................................................ 7
`Claim Construction................................................................................ 8
`STATEMENTS OF OPINIONS EXPRESSED AND BASES AND
`REASONS THEREFOR ................................................................................. 8
` U.S. Patent No. 8,293,742 ..................................................................... 8
`A Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art .................................................10
`Claim Construction..............................................................................13
`1.
`“about 0.025%” .........................................................................13
`“about 0.025%” means “0.025% plus or minus 10%,” equating to an
`
`upper limit of 0.0275% ................................................................................14
`Specific Responses to Dr. Lasker’s opinions regarding “about 0.025%”
`
`17
`Technical Tutorial: Pharmaceutical Development ..............................19
`Overview of References Cited by Dr. Laskar .....................................21
`1.
`Alphagan® Label 1998 (EX-1008)............................................22
`2.
`Derick 1997 (EX-1027) ............................................................23
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`i
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 2 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`
`
`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`3.
`Federal Register 1988 (EX-1009) .............................................25
`Pasquali 2013 (EX-1025) ..........................................................27
`4.
`Scruggs 2000 (EX-1023) ..........................................................30
`5.
`U.S. Patent No. 6,294,553 (EX-1004) ......................................30
`6.
`U.S. Patent No. 6,562,873 (EX-1033) ......................................33
`7.
`8. Walters 1991 (EX-1005) ...........................................................35
`Response to Dr. Laskar’s Description of the “Background to the
`’742 Patent” .........................................................................................36
` Dr. Laskar’s Description of the ’742 Patent........................................38
`Response to Dr. Laskar’s Opinion that “A POSA Was Motivated
`to Formulate at a pH between about 5.5 and about 6.5” .....................38
`Response to Dr. Laskar’s Opinion that a “It Was Routine for a
`POSA to Formulate Brimonidine Ocular Drops at Any
`Concentration Between 0.001% and 0.05% and at Any pH
`between about 5.5 and about 6.5” .......................................................45
`Dr. Laskar’s Opinion Regarding “Dose Ranging” ..............................50
` Dr. Laskar’s Opinion Regarding the “Proper Comparison to the
`Prior Art” .............................................................................................51
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`ii
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 3 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`I.
`
`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND
` Education and Experience
`1.
`I, Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D., submit this declaration at the request
`
`of Patent Owner Eye Therapies, LLC (“Eye Therapies” or “the Patent Owner”) as
`
`an expert in the design and evaluation of drug products. I understand that this
`
`declaration is being submitted in support of the Patent Owner’s Response in
`
`connection with IPR2022-00142. My qualifications in these areas, as well as other
`
`areas, are established below and by my curriculum vitae, which is attached as
`
`Appendix A.
`
`2.
`
`I am currently the Johnson & Johnson Centennial Chair and Professor
`
`in the Division of Molecular Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery at the University of
`
`Texas at Austin College of Pharmacy in Austin, Texas, where I have been teaching
`
`and conducting research since 1995. I am also the Division Head of Molecular
`
`Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery.
`
`3.
`
`I received a B.S. degree in biology from Texas A&M University in
`
`1979, a B.S. degree in pharmacy from The University of Texas at Austin in 1981,
`
`and a Ph.D. degree in pharmaceutics from The University of Texas at Austin in 1986.
`
`I am a licensed pharmacist.
`
`4.
`
`I have extensive experience and expertise
`
`in pharmaceutical
`
`formulation and the use of excipients in formulating various types of drug dosage
`
`1
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 4 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`forms. I am an expert in the field of pharmaceutical development, and I have worked
`
`almost exclusively in the field of pharmaceutical development since 1986. While I
`
`am not an FDA expert, I work with team members who are FDA experts and have
`
`knowledge of relevant FDA regulations governing drug products. Based on my
`
`experience, I am also generally familiar with FDA guidance and testing
`
`requirements.
`
`5.
`
`Prior to becoming a professor, I worked in the pharmaceutical industry
`
`for several companies including Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Pharmaceuticals, Duramed
`
`Pharmaceuticals, and Eli Lilly and Company. Additionally, from 1996 to 2007, I
`
`was co-founder and President of PharmaForm, a contract pharmaceutical laboratory,
`
`and from 2007 to mid-2010, I was a director of Akela Pharma. I was the Chief
`
`Scientist and co-founder of Enavail from 2009 to 2013, a particle engineering
`
`contract services company founded based on intellectual property on which I am a
`
`co-inventor. I am a scientific consultant to TFF Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a company
`
`founded based on intellectual property on which I am a co-inventor. Accordingly, I
`
`have relevant industry experience in addition to my academic qualifications.
`
`6. My current research focuses on the development, formulation,
`
`optimization, and delivery of drugs by a variety of technologies. I have extensive
`
`research experience and have authored numerous publications in this area.
`
`2
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 5 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`I have authored or co-authored over 500 published papers, abstracts,
`
`7.
`
`books, and book chapters related to my work in the pharmaceutical sciences. A
`
`significant number of my papers are directed specifically to pharmaceutical
`
`formulation techniques and drug dosage forms. I am a co-inventor on over 40 patents
`
`and/or patent applications that deal with drug formulation technology.
`
`8.
`
`Over the course of my career, I have earned numerous prestigious
`
`professional awards and honors, which are described in my curriculum vitae. For
`
`example, I was elected as a fellow to the American Association of Pharmaceutical
`
`Scientists, the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, and the
`
`National Academy of Inventors. I have also received the William J. Sheffield
`
`Outstanding Alumnus Award and was a Dean’s Fellow at the University of Texas at
`
`Austin College of Pharmacy. I was also awarded the 2017 University of Texas at
`
`Austin’s Inventor of the Year Award. I received in 2021 the College of Science
`
`Academy of Distinguished Former Students Award at Texas A&M University.
`
`9.
`
`I am currently the Editor-in-Chief for AAPS PharmSciTech, an official
`
`joint publication of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists and
`
`Springer Nature Publishing. I was the Editor-in-Chief for Drug Development and
`
`Industrial Pharmacy from 2000 to 2014. I am a member of the Editorial Advisory
`
`Board for Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology and International
`
`Journal of Pharmaceutics. I also have served or currently serve as a reviewer for
`
`3
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 6 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`many scientific journals, including International Journal of Pharmaceutics,
`
`Pharmaceutical Research, Molecular Pharmaceutics, European Journal of
`
`Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics, Journal of the Controlled Release Society,
`
`Pharmaceutical Development and Technology, AAPS PharmSciTech, Journal of
`
`Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis.
`
`10.
`
`In addition to my research and teaching duties at the University of
`
`Texas at Austin, I have consulted for pharmaceutical, chemical, and biotechnology
`
`companies. I have consulted for both innovator pharmaceutical companies and
`
`generic pharmaceutical companies. Most of these consulting activities have dealt
`
`specifically with drug formulation issues.
`
` Documents and Information Considered in Forming
`Opinions
`In forming my opinions, I had available the documents cited herein and
`
`11.
`
`in Appendix B as well as the publications listed in my curriculum vitae at Appendix
`
`A. I additionally have based my opinions on my professional and academic
`
`experience in the area of pharmaceutical formulation. I reserve the right to testify
`
`about these materials and experience.
`
`
`12.
`
`Scope of Work, Compensation
`I have been retained by counsel for Eye Therapies in this matter. I have
`
`been asked to consider a POSA’s understanding of the term “about” as it is used in
`
`the claims of the ’742 patent and to respond to certain arguments advanced by Dr.
`
`4
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 7 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`Laskar in connection with his opinion regarding the construction of “about 0.025%.”
`
`I have also been asked to consider (1) whether a POSA would have been motivated
`
`to target a pH between about 5.5 and about 6.5 for a composition with brimonidine
`
`at a concentration of about 0.001% to about 0.05% or between about 0.001% and
`
`about 0.025%; and (2) whether a POSA could have arrived at the claimed
`
`brimonidine composition with a concentration between about 0.001% and about
`
`0.025% and a pH between about 5.5 and about 6.5 through routine experimentation.
`
`13.
`
`I will be compensated for my time preparing for and testifying in this
`
`matter at the rate of $650 per hour. No part of my compensation is contingent upon
`
`the outcome of this matter or any issue in it.
`
`14. To the extent I am provided additional documents or information,
`
`including any expert declarations produced by Slayback Pharma LLC (“Petitioner”
`
`or “Slayback”) or additional documents produced by the Petitioner, I may offer
`
`further opinions. In addition to these materials, I may consider additional documents
`
`and information in forming any rebuttal opinions. Additionally, I reserve the right to
`
`prepare one or more visual aids or demonstratives to illustrate my opinions,
`
`including at trial. I also reserve the right to provide a technical tutorial to provide
`
`additional background information on my opinions.
`
`5
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 8 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
` Testimony as Expert in Last Four Years
`15. Appendix C to this Declaration is a list of the cases where I have
`
`testified at deposition and/or trial in the last four years.
`
`II. LEGAL STANDARDS
`16.
`I have no formal legal training, but I have been informed by Patent
`
`Owner’s counsel about the appropriate legal standards as set forth below and I have
`
`applied these standards in rendering my opinions. I reserve the right to supplement
`
`my report to take into account any modifications to these standards, if I am informed
`
`of such.
`
` Validity
`17.
`I have been informed that the U.S. patent statute provides that issued
`
`patents are presumed valid over the prior art.
`
`1.
`Anticipation
`I have been informed and understand that anticipation requires that
`
`18.
`
`every claim element of that claim must be found in a single prior art reference
`
`arranged as in the claim. I have been informed and understand that if a prior art
`
`reference does not expressly disclose every element of a claim, anticipation may be
`
`found if the undisclosed claim element is inherent in the prior art’s disclosure. I
`
`understand, however, that to find an inherent disclosure, the later-claimed
`
`invention’s inherent features must be necessarily and inevitably present in the
`
`reference, and not the result of probabilities, possibilities, or possible outcomes.
`
`6
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 9 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`
`2. Obviousness
`I have been informed and understand that to find a patent claim invalid
`
`19.
`
`for obviousness, the claimed invention, as a whole, when considered against the
`
`prior art taken as a whole would have had to have been obvious to a person having
`
`ordinary skill in the art at the time the invention was made. I understand that, in
`
`making an obviousness determination, it is improper to consider the prior art with a
`
`hindsight bias based on the teachings of the patent. One must not use the patent as a
`
`template to suggest how the elements of the prior art could have been combined.
`
`20.
`
`I have also been informed and understand that the claimed invention
`
`and the prior art must each be looked at “as a whole.” One must also consider those
`
`portions of the prior art that “teach away” from the claimed invention. It is not
`
`sufficient to consider an isolated portion of one reference that is similar to what the
`
`patent discloses and claims, if either the reference as a whole or another reference or
`
`the prior art as a whole teaches or suggests something different from that isolated
`
`portion. I also understand that, in resolving whether an invention is obvious based
`
`on the teachings of multiple references, one must consider whether the combination
`
`yields no more than predictable results or achieves an unexpected result.
`
`21.
`
`I have also been informed and understand that, in determining whether
`
`or not a patented invention would have been obvious, the following factors must be
`
`considered: the scope and content of the prior art, the differences between the prior
`
`7
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 10 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`art and the claims at issue, the level of ordinary skill in the art, and whatever
`
`objective indicia of non-obviousness may be present.
`
` Claim Construction
`22.
`I have been informed and understand that the patent claims, and their
`
`terms and phrases, are interpreted according to their ordinary and customary
`
`meaning to a person of ordinary skill in the art at the time of filing. I understand that
`
`interpreting a term or phrase contained in a patent claim involves reading the
`
`language of the claim and considering other materials relevant to the claim,
`
`including the patent specification and the prosecution history. I understand that the
`
`patent specification and prosecution history may collectively be referred to as the
`
`“intrinsic record.” I understand that evidence outside of the patent and its
`
`prosecution history may also be consulted, but that such materials should only be
`
`considered so long as they are not inconsistent with the claim language, the patent
`
`specification, and the prosecution history. I understand that such evidence may be
`
`referred to as “extrinsic evidence.”
`
`III. STATEMENTS OF OPINIONS EXPRESSED AND BASES AND
`REASONS THEREFOR
` U.S. Patent No. 8,293,742
`23.
`I have reviewed U.S. Patent No. 8,293,742 (“the ’742 patent”) and its
`
`prosecution history. I understand that the ’742 patent claims priority to an
`
`application that was filed on August 1, 2008. Specifically, I understand that the ’742
`
`8
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 11 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`patent claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/207,481 filed February 12,
`
`2009; U.S. Provisional Application 61/203,120 filed December 18, 2008; U.S.
`
`Provisional Application 61/192,777 filed September 22, 2008; and U.S. Provisional
`
`Application 61/137,714 filed August 1, 2008. (EX-1001 (’742 patent) at p. 1.)
`
`24. Generally speaking, the ’742 patent claims, inter alia, methods for
`
`reducing eye redness consisting essentially of administering brimonidine to a patient
`
`having an ocular condition, wherein the brimonidine is present at a concentration
`
`between about 0.001% w/v and about 0.05% w/v. (EX-1001 (’742 patent) at
`
`Abstract, Claims 1-6.) I understand that Dr. Noecker will describe the state of the
`
`art, as it relates to redness relieving eye drops and brimonidine, as well as the
`
`inventor’s unexpected discovery.
`
`25.
`
`Independent claim 1 of the ’742 patent is directed, generally speaking,
`
`to a method for reducing eye redness consisting essentially of administering
`
`brimonidine to a patient having an ocular condition, wherein brimonidine is present
`
`at a concentration between about 0.001% weight by volume and about 0.05% weight
`
`by volume. (EX-1001 (’742 patent) at 22:17-21.)
`
`26. Dependent claim 2 of the ’742 patent is directed, generally speaking, to
`
`the method of claim 1, wherein brimonidine is present at a concentration between
`
`about 0.001% to about 0.025% weight by volume. (EX-1001 (’742 patent) at 22:22-
`
`24.)
`
`9
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 12 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`Independent claim 3 of the ’742 patent is directed, generally speaking,
`
`27.
`
`to a method for reducing eye redness consisting essentially of topically
`
`administering to a patient having an ocular condition a composition consisting
`
`essentially of brimonidine into ocular tissue, wherein pH of said composition is
`
`between about 5.5 and about 6.5, wherein said brimonidine concentration is between
`
`about 0.001% and about 0.025% weight by volume and wherein said composition is
`
`formulated as an ocular drop. (EX-1001 (’742 patent) at 22:25-32.)
`
`28. Dependent claim 4 of the ’742 patent is directed, generally speaking, to
`
`the method of claim 3, wherein said composition is topically administered within
`
`about 24 hours after a Lasik surgery on said patient. (EX-1001 (’742 patent) at 22:33-
`
`35.)
`
`29. Dependent claim 5 of the ’742 patent is directed, generally speaking, to
`
`the method of claim 1, wherein said ocular condition is chronic red eye. (EX-1001
`
`(’742 patent) at 22:36-37.)
`
`30. Dependent claim 6 of the ’742 patent is directed, generally speaking, to
`
`the method of claim 3, wherein said ocular condition is chronic red eye. (EX-1001
`
`(’742 patent) at 22:38-39.)
`
` A Person of Ordinary Skill in the Art
`31.
`I understand that Dr. Noecker will explain that the field to which the
`
`’742 patent pertains is interdisciplinary. Thus, I understand that Dr. Noecker will
`
`10
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 13 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`explain that a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art may be represented by a
`
`team of individuals with experience and various skills relating to eye care, including,
`
`inter alia, the medical and pharmaceutical formulation arts. I further understand that
`
`Dr. Noecker will explain that a person of ordinary skill in the relevant art may also
`
`have been part of or have access to a team of individuals with experience in
`
`chemistry, in designing and evaluating ophthalmic formulations, and/or in
`
`administering ophthalmic formulations to treat ocular conditions obtained by some
`
`combination of education and work experience.
`
`32.
`
`I understand that Dr. Noecker will explain that the medical doctor is a
`
`specialist in treating diseases of the eye, such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist,
`
`with three to four years of experience, who also has experience designing and
`
`running clinical
`
`trials on ophthalmic formulations. In my opinion,
`
`the
`
`pharmaceutical formulator had a Bachelor’s degree in pharmaceutics or a related
`
`discipline with about three to five years of work experience in this area, or a
`
`comparable level of education and training, such as a Ph.D. with one to two years of
`
`experience in this area.
`
`33.
`
`In light of the above, I understand that Dr. Noecker will explain that the
`
`POSA should be defined as follows: The POSA is a composite person engaged in
`
`developing pharmaceutical formulations and treatment methods for the eye, and
`
`includes a medical doctor and pharmaceutical formulator with the qualifications
`
`11
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 14 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`outlined above. This person may also work in collaboration with other scientists
`
`and/or clinicians who have experience with chemistry; developing, designing, and/or
`
`evaluating ophthalmic formulations; administering ophthalmic formulations;
`
`running clinical trials related to such formulations; and/or treating patients using
`
`such formulations.
`
`34.
`
`I understand that the Petitioner contends that “[a] POSA was a
`
`composite person (or team) that included a medical doctor and a pharmaceutical
`
`formulator.” (Petition at § I.C.) I understand that the Petitioner further contends that
`
`“[t]he medical doctor was an ophthalmologist with at least three to four years of
`
`experience in LASIK surgery, clinical trials and U.S. FDA regulation of eye
`
`products, and had experience in the use of topical brimonidine and apraclonidine and
`
`topical vasoconstrictors such as naphazoline and tetrahydrozoline” and that “[t]he
`
`pharmaceutical formulator had a doctorate in pharmaceutics or a related degree and
`
`at least three to five years of experience developing eye drop formulations for
`
`clinical trial and regulatory approval.” (Id.) In my opinion, the qualifications that the
`
`Petitioner attributes to a POSA go far beyond those of a person of ordinary skill. In
`
`any event, my opinions expressed herein would not change regardless of which
`
`definition is applied.
`
`12
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 15 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 16 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`compositions, and the criticality of the claimed concentration. (See EX-1003 (Laskar
`
`Decl.) at ¶¶ 64-71.) I understand that Dr. Noecker will respond to these arguments,
`
`which relate to his area of particular expertise. I also understand that Dr. Noecker
`
`will explain that a person of ordinary skill in the art would not have understood
`
`“about 0.025%” to include “0.03%.”
`
` “about 0.025%” means “0.025% plus or minus 10%,”
`equating to an upper limit of 0.0275%
`39. Dr. Laskar contends that “from the perspective of a pharmaceutical
`
`formulator, ‘about 0.025%’ includes ‘0.03%’ because, as the upper limit of a range,
`
`a concentration of ‘about 0.025%’ rounded up to two decimal points is ‘0.03%.’”
`
`(EX-1003 (Laskar Decl.) at ¶ 72)). I disagree.
`
`40. As an initial matter, in my opinion, a person of ordinary skill in the art
`
`would have understood the word “about” to mean “plus or minus 10%,” which
`
`means that “about 0.025%” would have an upper limit of 0.0275%.
`
`41. When considering the construction of the term “about” in the context
`
`of a pharmaceutical patent, it is important to note that a POSA formulator—under
`
`either Petitioner’s definition or Patent Owner’s definition—has significant
`
`experience in the pharmaceutical arts and would have, or would have access to a
`
`team member who has, experience with the FDA and knowledge of relevant FDA
`
`regulations governing drug products.
`
`14
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 17 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`42. For example, a POSA would have understood that as of the priority
`
`date, and today, there is an inherent degree of imprecision in the manufacturing
`
`process, which can result in minor variations within and across batches. (See e.g.,
`
`EX-2025 (USP 32) at 4.) The FDA recognizes this and thus allows certain tolerance
`
`to the amount of an active ingredient in a drug product. (EX-2026 (FDA Guidance
`
`Q6A) at 83044-83045 (“When a specification is first proposed, justification should
`
`be presented for each procedure and each acceptance criterion included . . . a
`
`reasonable range of expected analytical and manufacturing variability should be
`
`considered.”).)
`
`43. This tolerance is reflected in the acceptance criteria for the testing
`
`required by regulatory authorities. ((EX-2026 (FDA Guidance Q6A) at 83045.)
`
`Indeed, a POSA would have understood that FDA requires certain tests for all drug
`
`products. (EX-2027 (Remington’s) at 10.) One of those tests is an “assay,” which
`
`determines the amount of the active pharmaceutical ingredient present in the drug
`
`product. (Id.) The acceptance criteria for the assay is expressed as a percentage of
`
`the label claim. (Id. at 11.) Typical acceptance criteria are in the range from 90.0 to
`
`110.0 percent of the label claim. (Id.)
`
`
`
`
`
` The tolerance for the amount of an active ingredient is reflected in the acceptance
`
`15
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 18 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`criteria for drug products approved by the FDA for sale in the United States, and
`
`would have been known by a POSA.
`
`44.
`
`In the pharmaceutical formulation context, the term “about” is often
`
`used to express quantities for assays and tests. Indeed, the U.S. Pharmacopoeia1
`
`explicitly provides a definition for the term “about” in this context. (EX-2025 (USP
`
`32) at 8.) Specifically, the USP explains that in stating the appropriate quantities to
`
`be taken for assays and tests, the use of the word “‘about’ indicates a quantity within
`
`10%” of the specific weight or volume. (Id.) Accordingly, with respect to quantities
`
`such as weight percentages of excipients in a formulation, a POSA would understand
`
`that the term “about” would include values within 10% of the specified value.
`
`45. Based on the above and my experience, in my opinion, a POSA would
`
`have understood the word “about” to encompass plus or minus 10%. This is
`
`consistent with the definition of “about” in the USP and is consistent with the typical
`
`label claim acceptance criteria for FDA-approved drug products. A person of
`
`
`1 The U.S. Pharmacopeia develops and publishes standards for in the United States
`
`Pharmacopeia-National Formulary. (EX-2029 (USP - Legal Recognition) at 1.) The
`
`USP standards have long been recognized by the FDA and the USP-NF has been
`
`deemed an “official compendium.” (Id.)
`
`16
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 19 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`ordinary skill in the art would thus have understood the upper end of “about 0.025%”
`
`to be 0.0275%.
`
` Specific Responses to Dr. Lasker’s opinions regarding
`“about 0.025%”
`46. As an initial matter, I note that Dr. Laskar’s opinion has no support in
`
`the intrinsic record. Indeed, there is nothing in the ’742 patent that suggests that the
`
`term “about” should be interpreted based on abstract principles such as rounding or
`
`the number of significant figures and, importantly, as described above, that is not
`
`how a POSA formulator would understand the term “about” in the context of this
`
`pharmaceutical patent. Doing as Dr. Laskar suggests—relying on rounding—relies
`
`on a very elementary scientific principle, when there is no support in the intrinsic
`
`record for doing so.
`
`47. Further, in my opinion, the POSA formulator according to Dr. Laskar’s
`
`definition, would not have understood the word “about” to encompass 0.03%, which
`
`equates to about 18% higher than the upper end of the recited range, well outside
`
`the FDA’s general tolerance for the active ingredient. (EX-2027 (Remington’s) at
`
`11.) Tellingly, in Dr. Laskar’s opinion, the POSA formulator “had a doctorate in
`
`pharmaceutics or a related degree and at least three to five years of experience
`
`developing ocular drop formulations (commonly referred to as eye drops) for clinical
`
`trial and regulatory approval.” (EX-1003 (Laskar Decl.) at ¶ 29). But Dr. Laskar’s
`
`17
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 20 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`opinion is inconsistent with the typical acceptance criteria range for FDA-approved
`
`drug products.
`
`48. Specifically, the acceptance criteria for the amount of the active
`
`pharmaceutical ingredient present in the drug product relative to the label claim
`
`would inform a person of ordinary skill in the art’s understanding of the range that
`
`“about” imparts to “about 0.025%.” As described above, this is reflected in the
`
`acceptance criteria for the assay testing, which is typically 90.0 to 110.0 percent of
`
`the label claim. (EX-2027 (Remington’s) at 11.) But Dr. Laskar ignores this in favor
`
`of rounding. To be clear, I do not dispute that 0.025 would round up to 0.03, if
`
`rounding to one significant figure, which Dr. Laskar appears to be suggesting would
`
`be done. (EX-1003 (Laskar Decl.) at ¶ 72.) But, in my opinion, based on my
`
`experience, a POSA would not look to round 0.025% to one significant figure.
`
`49.
`
`In the pharmaceutical industry, it is important to be as accurate and
`
`precise as possible, but the degree of accuracy and precision that can be attained is
`
`often dictated by the equipment. Significant figures represent the degree of precision
`
`for a particular measuring tool. The same would be true with respect to the ’742
`
`patent, which is clearly a pharmaceutical patent.
`
`50. The specification and the claims of the ’742 patent further support my
`
`opinion. I understand that Dr. Noecker will explain that the ’742 patent separately
`
`discloses concentrations of “about 0.025%” brimonidine and “about 0.03%”
`
`18
`
`Eye Therapies Exhibit 2021, 21 of 147
`Slayback v. Eye Therapies - IPR2022-00142
`
`

`

`Case IPR2022-00142
`Declaration of Robert O. Williams, III, Ph.D.
`brimonidine within the broader concentration range of less than 0.05%. I also
`
`understand that Dr. Noecker will explain that the ’742 patent describes distinct
`
`compositions with 0.025% brimonidine and 0.03% brimonidine. I further understand
`
`that Dr. Noecker will explain that the ’742 patent describes the clinically significant
`
`differences between compositions containing 0.025% brimonidine and compositions
`
`containing 0.03% brimonidine. A POSA would understand that the ’742 patent
`
`recognizes a distinction between these two concentrations and would not arbitrarily
`
`round 0.025% up to 0.03%. This is further confirmed by the label for the FDA-
`
`approved product, Lumify®, which I understand Dr. Noecker will explain contains
`
`brimonidine at a concentration of 0.025%. For at least these reasons, it i

This document is available on Docket Alarm but you must sign up to view it.


Or .

Accessing this document will incur an additional charge of $.

After purchase, you can access this document again without charge.

Accept $ Charge
throbber

Still Working On It

This document is taking longer than usual to download. This can happen if we need to contact the court directly to obtain the document and their servers are running slowly.

Give it another minute or two to complete, and then try the refresh button.

throbber

A few More Minutes ... Still Working

It can take up to 5 minutes for us to download a document if the court servers are running slowly.

Thank you for your continued patience.

This document could not be displayed.

We could not find this document within its docket. Please go back to the docket page and check the link. If that does not work, go back to the docket and refresh it to pull the newest information.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

You need a Paid Account to view this document. Click here to change your account type.

Your account does not support viewing this document.

Set your membership status to view this document.

With a Docket Alarm membership, you'll get a whole lot more, including:

  • Up-to-date information for this case.
  • Email alerts whenever there is an update.
  • Full text search for other cases.
  • Get email alerts whenever a new case matches your search.

Become a Member

One Moment Please

The filing “” is large (MB) and is being downloaded.

Please refresh this page in a few minutes to see if the filing has been downloaded. The filing will also be emailed to you when the download completes.

Your document is on its way!

If you do not receive the document in five minutes, contact support at support@docketalarm.com.

Sealed Document

We are unable to display this document, it may be under a court ordered seal.

If you have proper credentials to access the file, you may proceed directly to the court's system using your government issued username and password.


Access Government Site

We are redirecting you
to a mobile optimized page.





Document Unreadable or Corrupt

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket

We are unable to display this document.

Refresh this Document
Go to the Docket