CIBA loses appeal over extended wear patent

Novartis' CIBA Vision has lost a UK appeal to overturn a ruling that invalidated its European patent for extended wear contact lenses.

Novartis had argued that judges in the Netherlands and France had arrived at different conclusions to the UK court that deemed the 2001 'Nicolson' patent covering technology for the breathable Air Optix and Night&Day lenses invalid due to insufficient disclosure.

At the Court of Appeal in London, Justice Robin Jacob ruled that the lower court 'was entirely right to decide the patent was insufficient', according to Bloomberg. He added that the patent was 'nothing but a hazard to those conducting research into extended wear contact lenses'.