Swiss pharma giants Roche and Novartis fight over patent in US court
Roche claims there was a patent infringement on the lung drug Esbriet.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/ds
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche is taking its rival Novartis to court in the US. Roche subsidiary Genentech has filed suit in New Jersey District Court against Novartis subsidiary Sandoz for patent infringement on the lung drug Esbriet.
This is according to the indictment filed on Monday, cited by the Keystone-SDA news agency. The case was first reported by Reuters.
Genentech complains that Sandoz started selling a generic version of Esbriet in mid-May 2022, even though Sandoz had not applied for a license. As a result, Genentech’s patent had been infringed, it said. The generic displacement of Esbriet has caused significant financial harm to the Roche subsidiary, it said. Esbriet had sales of more than $740 million (CHF650 million) in the U.S. alone in 2021.
Genentech is now seeking unspecified damages including lost profits and/or an appropriate royalty. Sandoz is also expected to pay the legal costs.
Genentech’s Esbriet is used to treat idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal chronic lung disease with no cure. Roche earned over $1 billion worldwide from Esbriet in 2021, but sales fell to under $820 million in 2022, according to Reuters.
Swiss justice minister hopes EU reform will reduce irregular migration
This content was published on
The European Union’s (EU) New Pact on Migration and Asylum aims to curb irregular migration within Schengen, Justice Minister Beat Jans said on Tuesday.
Swiss electricity supply outlook positive despite uncertainties
This content was published on
Thanks to well-filled gas stores in Europe and increased availability of French nuclear power, the Swiss Federal Electricity Commission is optimistic.
Finance minister wants Swiss banks to hold more equity
This content was published on
Finance Minister Karin Keller-Sutter has repeated calls for banks and their holdings in subsidiaries abroad to hold more equity.
Telecoms sector kept Swiss competitions regulator busy in 2023
This content was published on
Last year, the Swiss Competition Commission (COMCO) conducted 27 investigations and initiated 17 preliminary investigations.
This content was published on
Although Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) achieved higher revenue at the start of the year, it suffered a dip in profits.
40,000 signatures against animal testing in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland should do away with “restrictive” animal testing and should become a model for innovative, effective, and pain-free scientific research.
More than 45,000 signatures in favour of federal funding for UNRWA
This content was published on
The Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives (FAC) is expected to decide on the funding of the UNRWA at the beginning of the week.
This content was published on
At the end of January 2024, 6,881 men and women were behind bars in Switzerland. Almost 95% of all places were occupied, the highest number since 2014.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Novartis seals deal to license high-priced cancer drug
This content was published on
Swiss pharma giant Novartis has finalised a deal to allow generic production of its patented drug nilotinib to treat chronic myeloid leukemia.
This content was published on
Switzerland takes the top spot in total patent filings per capita to the European Patent Office. Roche and ABB lead the field among Swiss companies.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.