Harmony Biosciences has reaffirmed its confidence in the strength of WAKIX® (Pitolisant) patents, after receiving a positive ruling from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejecting the request for reexamination. WAKIX® is used to treat excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) or cataplexy in adults with Narcolepsy. Read Harmony Biosciences' community-facing statement below:
We are pleased that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected a challenge to the validity of claims within the patent covering the active ingredient in WAKIX® (pitolisant), in line with our expectations. This decision not only underscores our confidence in the strength of the WAKIX patent portfolio but also reinforces our belief in the potential of the WAKIX franchise. We continue to believe that WAKIX represents a billion-dollar plus opportunity in narcolepsy alone, with the potential to contribute up to an additional $1 billion dollars, if approved, in idiopathic hypersomnia and other current lifecycle management programs. We are proud of the work we do every day to address the unmet medical needs of patients living with rare neurological diseases.
(Harmony Biosciences shared this statement in its official press release announcement: https://www.harmonybiosciences.com/newsroom/harmony-reiterates-confidence-in-wakix/)
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Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.