Risen (Suzhou) Pharma Tech Co., Ltd. v. Alzheon, Inc.

Alzheon, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company responsible for developing a broad portfolio of product candidates and diagnostic assays for patients suffering from treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease, including ALZ-801/valitramiprosate. Risen (Suzhou) Pharma Tech Co., Ltd. petitioned the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to institute inter partes review (IPR) and post-grant review (PGR) proceedings against two of Alzheon’s patents relating to ALZ-801/valitramiprosate. Finnegan successfully represented Alzheon in both proceedings, convincing the PTAB to deny institution of Risen’s petitions.

Alzheon had also brought its own IPR proceeding challenging a patent held by Risen directed to isotopically enriched forms of ALZ-801/valitramiprosate. Alzheon engaged Finnegan as dedicated appellate counsel before the Federal Circuit, where Finnegan successfully argued that the PTAB had correctly determined that Risen’s patent was invalid. The Federal Circuit’s ruling is critical to ensuring the ability of Alzheon to defend its ALZ-801/valitramiprosate franchise and continue developing an effective treatment for millions of Alzheimer’s patients.