---
title: "No commitment, no certificate: loose combinations and the SPC regulation"
id: "10455"
type: "post"
slug: "no-commitment-no-certificate-loose-combinations-and-the-spc-regulation"
published_at: "2026-02-06T14:26:00+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-09-17T13:34:46+00:00"
url: "https://www.august-debouzy.com/en/legal-article/no-commitment-no-certificate-loose-combinations-and-the-spc-regulation/"
markdown_url: "https://www.august-debouzy.com/en/legal-article/no-commitment-no-certificate-loose-combinations-and-the-spc-regulation.md"
taxonomy_category:
  - "Legal Article"
taxonomy_language:
  - "English"
taxonomy_tax_expertise:
  - "Patents"
---

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Read the full article on [https://www.iam-media.com/article/no-commitment-no-certificate-loose-combinations-and-the-spc-regulation](https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.iam-media.com%2Farticle%2Fno-commitment-no-certificate-loose-combinations-and-the-spc-regulation&data=05%7C02%7Cctheophile%40august-debouzy.com%7C4f7caf4987eb4ed9db4308de655d6655%7C1cc62af8b3884c0f94a65fb995639fa2%7C0%7C0%7C639059648986105694%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4xWbX8fe9CwUrC7nOxmp2uHRxzLVoEyZRQAboSph2YA%3D&reserved=0)

In this article, François Pochart, Pierre‑Olivier Ally and Mayeul Ottaviani analyse a key issue for pharma innovators: the persistent ineligibility of “loose combinations” for SPC protection.

Recent decisions in France, the UK and Germany all point in the same direction — and the upcoming SPC Regulation reform leaves this gap untouched.

For companies developing combination therapies, the takeaway is clear: anticipating IP and regulatory hurdles is now more critical than ever.

The article breaks down the legal landscape and its strategic implications for market access, lifecycle management and innovation planning.

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### Authors

3

- [François Pochart](https://www.august-debouzy.com/en/collaborateur/francois-pochart/)
- [Pierre-Olivier Ally](https://www.august-debouzy.com/en/collaborateur/pierre-olivier-ally/)
- [Mayeul Ottaviani](https://www.august-debouzy.com/en/collaborateur/mayeul-ottaviani/)

### Practice Area

1

- [Patents](https://www.august-debouzy.com/en/tax-expertise/patents/)

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