EU Legal and Regulatory Update

The document provided an update on various EU legal and regulatory developments as of November 2008. Key highlights included court rulings on pharmaceutical patents, such as Merck's successful patent for a new dosage of Finasteride for Androgenic Alopecia and the revocation of Pfizer's Atorvastatin patent in Germany. It also covered the introduction of class actions into the Italian Consumer Code, allowing collective lawsuits for consumer protection. Additionally, the document discussed rulings on Alzheimer's drug data access, state aid related to drug sales taxes, and the classification of "Red Rice" in Germany. Other updates included French laws on human tissues and cells, and patent disputes involving pharmaceutical companies in the UK.