AbbVie’s Pharmacyclics recently sued BeiGene for patent infringement. Both companies distribute Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors for treatment of, among other indications, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL). Pharmacyclics sells Imbruvica® and BeiGene sells Brukinsa®. Will Pharmacyclics prevail, and if so, what will it gain?
Read MoreWhen does a pile of sand become a heap? When is a portfolio of patents too many patents? Can using too many patents to compel generics to take a later entry date turn into monopolistic conduct? These questions lurk the heart of the antitrust litigation brought by buyers of the blockbuster drug, Humira®, against its manufacturer, AbbVie ($ABBV). The case is currently pending within the Northern District of Illinois (In Re: Humira (Adalimumab) Antitrust Litigation, No. 19-cv-1873 (N.D. Ill.)). We previously blogged about related allegations before the case was filed when Boehringer Ingelheim raised them within its biosimilar litigation against AbbVie. On June 8, 2020, the Illinois federal court dismissed the antitrust action pursuant to AbbVie’s motion to dismiss. What are the takeaways from the case?
Read MoreAnd just like that, it’s over. Boehringer Ingelheim has thrown in the towel in its patent fight with AbbVie over Boehringer’s proposed biosimliar for Humira®. Boehringer was a lone hold-out among a long line of proposed biosimilars for AbbVie’s blockbuster. Boehringer’s distinction was that it had raised a unique defense, namely, arguing that AbbVie had built an unfair “patent thicket” around Humira® that was unenforceable. We previously blogged about Boehringer’s “unclean hands” defense here and here and here. Now that Boehringer has settled, what are the larger lessons for future biosimilar patent fights?
Read MoreBoehringer Ingelheim has been one of the lone holdouts in AbbVie’s ($ABBV) campaign to delay biosimilar competition against Humira® until 2023. To date, AbbVie has settled with almost all proposed biosimilars for entry dates in 2023. Is Boehringer going to launch at-risk?
Read MoreThe Supreme Court has heard oral argument in Oil States v. Greene’s Energy, and a decision whether IPRs are unconstitutional is currently pending. For companies currently embroiled in IPRs that could directly impact their bottom line, the Supreme Court’s decision could be very tangible. AbbVie ($ABBV) and Coherus Biosciences ($CHRS) are a case in point.
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