Enanta files patent infringement suit against Pfizer

22 June 2022

US clinical-stage biotech Enanta Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: ENTA) yesterday announced that it has filed suit in US District Court for the District of Massachusetts against pharma giant Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) seeking damages for infringement of US Patent No. 11,358,953 (the '953 Patent) in the manufacture, use and sale of Pfizer's COVID-19 antiviral, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets).

Paxlovid is Pfizer’s hugely successful antiviral for the treatment of COVID-19, and generated first quarter 2022 sales of $1.5 billion. Along with its 2021 financial results, Pfizer said it anticipated full-year 2022 sales of $22 billion for Paxlovid. The company’s COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty pulled in 2021 sales of $36.8 billion.

The US Patent and Trademark Office awarded the patent to Enanta earlier this month based on Enanta's July 2020 patent application describing coronavirus protease inhibitors invented by Enanta scientists. The complaint can be accessed on Enanta's website here.

This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.

Try before you buy

Free

7 day trial access

Take a Free Trial

All the news that moves the needle in pharma and biotech
Exclusive features, podcasts, interviews, data analyses and commentary from our global network of life sciences reporters.
Receive The Pharma Letter daily news bulletin, free forever.

Become a subscriber

£820

Or £77 per month

Subscribe Now

Unfettered access to industry-leading news, commentary and analysis in pharma and biotech.
Updates from clinical trials, conferences, M&A, licensing, financing, regulation, patents & legal, executive appointments, commercial strategy and financial results.
Daily roundup of key events in pharma and biotech.
Monthly in-depth briefings on Boardroom appointments and M&A news.
Choose from a cost-effective annual package or a flexible monthly subscription

The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed

Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK