US high court limits patents based on the 'laws of nature'

A recent significant decision by the US Supreme Court struck down the validity of a patented treatment for a medical disorder as being nothing more than a "conventional" application of a law of nature, which is ineligible for patenting.

The decision is likely to affect patents relating to life sciences, biotechnology and other technologies.

The patents at issue use thiopurine drugs to treat autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.