India's Intellectual Property Appellate Board stays order on generic ibrutinib

25 June 2020

A recent Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) order has resulted in the generic version of anti-cancer drug Ibrutinib becoming illegal once again, leaving patients with no option but to go back to buying Ibrutinib, sold under the brand name Imbruvica at $5,283. The revoked patent has granted a fresh lease of life to the on-going litigation between Big pharma and domestic drug companies, reports The Pharma Letter’s India correspondent.

The patent for the drug is held by Pharmacyclics, which was acquired by AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) in 2015 in a $21 billion deal. In India, the marketing right for ibrutinib is held by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ).

Pharmacyclics filed a patent for the drug in 2009 and obtained it in September 2014. Andhra Pradesh-based Laurus Labs filed a post-grant challenge on September 2015 on several grounds such as lack of novelty and lack of inventive steps, among others.

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