BRIEF—Pfizer wins patent verdict against AstraZeneca

A Delaware, USA, federal jury on Friday said that AstraZeneca should pay $107.5 million in royalty damages for infringing a Pfizer-brand cancer treatment patent, with its cancer drug Tagrisso (osimertinib), according to IP Law360.

A final decision will not be issued until after a bench trial on some of AstraZeneca's additional defenses.

The jury found that Tagrisso violated two patents related to cancer treatment methods using the breast cancer drug Nerlynx (neratinib) Nerlynx, marketed by Puma Biotechnology, which licenses these patents from Pfizer for its drug production.

A spokesperson for AstraZeneca expressed disappointment with the verdict, stating the company is “confident in our intellectual property position regarding Tagrisso” and plans to “vigorously defend” its rights.

Tagrisso generated nearly $5.8 billion in revenue for AstraZeneca last year.

US District Judge Matthew Kennelly will conduct a separate bench trial in June to address some of AstraZeneca’s remaining defenses, which could potentially overturn the jury’s verdict.