`__________________
`
`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