On 13 August 2025, the UPC Court of Appeal (‘CoA’) granted a PI in proceedings between Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH (‘Boehringer’) and Zentiva Portugal LDA (‘Zentiva’). The CoA has set the standard for imminent infringement in relation to the launch of a generic medicine and the launch preparations. The CoA overturns the order of the Local Division Lisbon, granting Boehringer a PI against Zentiva for all UPC territories in which the patent has effect.
What preceded
Boehringer holds EP 1 830 843, which protects indolidone derivatives for the treatment or prevention of fibrotic diseases. Boehringer markets its product containing nintedanib as esilate in Portugal under the name Ofev® for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Zentiva obtained two Portuguese Marketing Authorisations (‘MA’) for its generic medicines (‘generics’) on 30 August 2024. It subsequently secured pricing and reimbursement approval in the process of completing the Prior Evaluation Procedure (‘PEP’) on 6 December 2024.
Boehringer initiated PI proceedings against Zentiva, arguing that by completing all the necessary regulatory steps, Zentiva had positioned itself to launch at any time, thereby creating a real and immediate risk of infringement. On 8 May 2025, the Local Division Lisbon dismissed the requested PI, holding that the MA and PEP completion were administrative steps which, in themselves, did not establish a risk of imminent infringement. Boehringer appealed the decision.
Assessment of the CoA – imminent infringement
Under Article 62(1) and (4) UPCA, the UPC Court may grant a PI against an alleged infringer, intended to prevent an imminent infringement. According to the CoA, the legal test for imminent infringement (i.e. when the infringement has not yet occurred) is: whether the potential infringer has already set the stage for it to occur. In such cases, the infringement is only a matter of initiating the act, as all necessary preparations have been fully completed. This must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
The standard of proof is whether there is a sufficient degree of certainty, on the balance of probabilities, that it is more likely than not that a patent infringement is imminent. The risk of permanent price erosion is an important factor in determining whether a PI is necessary (CoA, order of 3 March 2025, UPC_CoA_523/2024, APL_51115/2024, Sumi vs Syngenta).
According to the CoA merely obtaining a MA does not amount to imminent infringement. However, completing all national regulatory procedures like covering health technology assessment, pricing, and reimbursement can constitute imminent infringement if the generic manufacturer is in a position to make offers or supply the product. The CoA considers that this assessment depends on the applicable national legal framework.
In the Portuguese legal context, the CoA ruled that, although it is customary to apply for a PEP before a patent expires, this had been done prematurely, namely ≥1 year before the patent expired.
The CoA found that no further administrative approval was required for Zentiva to offer its generics on the market after the MA and the PEP approval were granted, because:
- the pre-notification to INFARMED (the National Authority for Medicines and Health Products) is just a formality that can be fulfilled by the supplier with relative ease and at short notice;
- the classification of Portuguese public procurement procedures as “pre-contractual” under national law does not limit the meaning of “offering” under Article 25 UPCA. Taking part in public procurement procedures with generic products while the patent is still in force will generally constitutes an infringing offer;
- while medicines are generally procured through public procurement procedures in Portugal, it is also possible for public hospitals, under certain conditions, to acquire nintedanib products outside of such procedures, in which Zentiva could participate with the approved PEP, and
- there are no other mechanisms that keep Zentiva from participating in public procurement proceedings and offering its generics, except that any restraint would be purely voluntary rather than imposed by law.
Conclusion
This decision offers significant clarification for both innovators and generic companies regarding the concept of imminent infringement. The key question is whether the generic company is in a position to offer and supply its generic products without further administrative hurdles. If so, imminent infringement exists – even if no sales have yet occurred. By contrast, merely obtaining a MA does not in itself amount to imminent infringement.
Completing all regulatory steps well before patent expiry, without legal or regulatory barriers to offering, may therefore justify the grant of a PI. The Court makes clear that voluntary self-restraint is no substitute for enforceable legal restrictions.
