It took just a few words to allow Merck to seize control again of the patent on its once-weekly dose of Fosamax, a blockbuster osteoporosis drug.
The patent for the most popular dosage form of the US drugmaker's $3bn-a-year drug was, surprisingly, invalidated in the US, its biggest market, in 2005. It had suffered a similar fate in 2004 in the EU until another twist came this week.
