Merck Serono Wins Patent Dispute With Biogen
In their reversal, the judges invalidated Biogen’s patent on interferon beta-1, which is the key ingredient in its Avonex brand multiple sclerosis drug and Merck Serono’s MS drug Rebif. The US biotech had sought billions of dollars in royalties for use of the substance.
The dispute dates back several years. In February 2018, a US lower court jury declared Biogen’s patent invalid, but a district court judge overturned this verdict, which Merck Serono’s parent Merck KGaA subsequently appealed.
The Darmstadt-based pharmaceuticals, chemicals and life sciences group had previously made a provision of €365 million in its balance sheet for the patent litigation. It now plans to adjust the provision, potentially returning a “’mid-to- high double-digit million sum” to its calculation of the financial result for 2020.
Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist
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Merck Serono, the biopharma arm of Germany’s Merck KGaA, has won a patent dispute against Biogen. A US Court of Appeals in the state of New Jersey invalidated its patent on interferon beta-1, which both companies use to produce MS drugs, overturning a district court decision. (c) Pixabay
