On September 9, 2022, Biogen Inc. and Biogen MA Inc. (“Plaintiffs”) filed suit against Sandoz Inc., Sandoz International GMBH, Sandoz GMBH, and Polpharma Biologics S.A. (collectively, “Defendants”) in the District of Delaware concerning twenty-eight different patents. Although the complaint was filed under seal, the complaint appears to be related to Defendants’ natalizumab biosimilar (proprietary name
Litigation
Humira’s End of Reign
On March 8, 2022, Alvotech announced that it has executed a U.S. settlement agreement with Abbvie that grants Alvotech non-exclusive rights to market AVT02 (adalimumab) in the U.S starting July 1, 2023. AbbVie confirmed the resolution of disputes and stated that Alvotech will take a non-exclusive license to the patents, and in return, pay royalties…
Is Silence Disclosure?
On January 3, 2021, The Federal Circuit held in a 2-1 decision in Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. v. Accord Healthcare, Inc. (Fed. Cir. 2022) that the claims of Novartis’ U.S. Pat. No. 9,187,405 (“the ’405 patent”) met the written description requirement under 35 U.S.C. § 112(a). Defendant HEC Pharm Co. Ltd. was the only remaining defendant…
Enablement Ruling Extinguishes Broad Antibody Claims, What Comes Next?
Last week, a federal court in Delaware unsealed an opinion supporting its grant of summary judgment that U.S. Patent No. 7,033,590 (“the ’590 Patent”) is invalid for lack of enablement.[1] The ’590 Patent is owned by Baxalta Inc. (“Baxalta”), a subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd (“Takeda”).
As we previously discussed,…
Just Skinny Enough: District Court Dismisses Inducement Claims Against Generic “Skinny Label”
On January 4, 2022, the District Court for the District of Delaware granted Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.’s (“Hikma”) motion to dismiss Amarin Pharma Inc.’s (“Amarin”) infringement claims, finding that Hikma’s “skinny label” for its generic heart drug, icosapent ethyl, did not induce infringement of Amarin’s three patents. This decision comes on the heels of the…
A Potential Pivot in Patent Procedure – Will the Supreme Court Hear Amgen’s Challenge to the Standard of Review for Enablement?
As we have previously discussed, on February 11, 2021, the Federal Circuit decided Amgen Inc. et al. v. Sanofi, Aventisub LLC, et al. The Federal Circuit affirmed the district court’s grant of JMOL that Amgen’s Repatha® patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,829,165 and 8,859,741) were invalid for lack of enablement. The claims at issue…
Getting Lost in the Thicket: AbbVie Wields Its Expansive Humira® Patent Portfolio Against Alvotech’s Adalimumab Biosimilar
In the most recent of a series of litigations by AbbVie against manufacturers seeking to market biosimilar versions of Humira®, the world’s most profitable drug, AbbVie initiated an action against Alvotech in the district court for the Northern District of Illinois on April 27, 2021, after Alvotech requested approval of its biosimilar, AVT02, a biosimilar…
Third Time’s a Charm? Amgen Files Another BPCIA Lawsuit Against Apotex
Earlier this month, Amgen initiated suit against Apotex in the Middle District of Florida, alleging infringement of U.S. Patent No. 9,856,287 (“the ’287 patent”). This is the third complaint that Amgen has brought against Apotex under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (the “BPCIA”), based on Apotex’s abbreviated biologic license applications (“aBLAs”) for biosimilars…
Genentech’s Carter ’213 Patent Asserted and Challenged
In October, we reported on a growing number of IPR challenges to Genentech’s U.S. Patent No. 6,407,213 (“the ʼ213 patent”) to Carter. The ’213 patent, “Method for making humanized antibodies,” which Genentech has stated in SEC filings covers technology used in developing the breast cancer drug Herceptin® (trastuzumab), has since been asserted or is otherwise…
The Federal Circuit Affirms: The Apotex Filgrastim (Neupogen®) and Pegfilgrastim (Neulasta®) Litigation
Several of the Federal Circuit’s initial decisions involving the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (the “BPCIA”) focused on unpacking the contours of the statute. The Federal Circuit’s recently issued opinion in Amgen Inc. v. Apotex Inc., No. 2017-1010, Slip Op. Nov. 13, 2017, by contrast, involves standard principles of appellate review.
We previously…