Through Russian courts and into Europe, BIOCAD's bandwagon rolls on

In the week that it announced its latest plans to enter European markets, Russia’s largest biotech company, BIOCAD, has come out on top in a patent dispute in its native country involving rituximab.

This drug was first developed by Genentech, part of Swiss pharma giant Roche (ROG: SIX), under the brand name Rituxan/MabThera, and is more commonly used in cancer but this case relates to its usage for rheumatoid arthritis.

The Chamber for Patent Disputes of the Russian Patent and Trademark Office has announced the operative part of the decision to recognize Genentech’s patent as completely invalid, a ruling that opens the way for competition and makes the drug more accessible.