Idenix Pharma files law suits against Gilead in Europe over sofosbuvir

US drugmaker Idenix Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IDIX) says it has filed patent infringement law suits against biotech firm Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) and/or certain of its subsidiaries in each of three countries - France, Germany and the UK.

The law suits allege that Gilead infringes Idenix's recently-granted, co-owned European patent EP 1 523 489 that covers 2'-methyl-2'-fluoro nucleosides for treating the hepatitis C virus. In these law suits, Idenix is seeking remedies with respect to Gilead's marketing and sales of drugs containing sofosbuvir (Gilead’s recently approved Sovaldi brand), which Idenix believes infringes its European patent.

"We are pleased to have been granted this European patent, and today's filings further confirm Idenix' conviction in the strength of our intellectual property portfolio and the resolve we have to protect it," said Maria Stahl, senior vice president and general counsel at Idenix. "Idenix has invested significant resources in nucleoside drug discovery and in building a valuable intellectual property portfolio – and we will continue to vigorously defend it. These proceedings, along with the US infringement actions we filed in December, are part of a concerted effort to safeguard these technologies," she added.