US court takes Pfizer and Merck off the hook for billions in damages

27 February 2018

A federal jury in New Jersey, USA, has ruled against Biogen (Nasdaq: BIIB) and in favor of Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and collaboration partner Germany's Merck KGaA (MRK: DE) in an eight year legal battle over competing multiple sclerosis medications.

The decision means that Pfizer and EMD Serono, Merck’s biopharma American subsidiary, will not be obliged to pay any royalties on sales of their MS drug Rebif (interferon beta-1a).

The jury voided the patent on Biogen's Avonex (interferon beta-1a) on the grounds that previously-existing information about the value of interferons as a treatment against different medical conditions made it invalid.

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