Speculation about the delisting of a “part” patent from the Orange Book
After updating my Orange Book Companion ® (“OBC”) Orange Book information subscription service each month, I usually first check the “What’s New” page that contains the changes in patent and exclusivity listings from the previous month. For the most recent update, Volume 40, Supplement 6, the first thing I saw at the top of the page was a patent delisting for Otsuka’s Abilify MyCite ® Kit (aripiprazone oral tablets). Aripiprazole is classified by the FDA as an atypical antipsychotic. The Abilify MyCite Kit is a very interesting product. The kit includes a tablet that contains the aripiprazole along with some circuitry that transmits an electromagnetic signal when activated by gastric juices in the patient’s stomach. Yes, each tablet is like a little radio transmitter! The other part of the kit is a skin patch that contains a receiver for the signal sent by the tablet. The data received by the patch can be accessed via a smartphone app. In this way the patient or their caregive