Pharmalittle: Amgen notches big win in Enbrel patent suit; patients struggle to find half-price Lilly insulin
Good morning, everyone, and nice to see you again. We have returned from an all-too-quick respite away from the Pharmalot campus. As you might imagine, we are playing a game of catchup this morning, given the busy events of the past week. To cope, yes, we are firing up the coffee kettle for a few cups of stimulation and invite you to join us. The neurons can always use a little help at the start of a new week, after all. Meanwhile, here are a few tidbits we came across as we settle in. Hope your day goes well. …
A U.S. judge upheld two patents relating to Enbrel, the blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug sold by Amgen (AMGN), denying a challenge by Novartis (NVS), which wants to launch a biosimilar version, Reuters reports. U.S. District Judge Claire Cecchi rejected arguments that patents covering Enbrel’s active ingredient until 2029 should not have been granted because their concepts were already contained in previous patents. Enbrel, which had U.S. sales of $4.8 billion last year, has been on the U.S. market since 1998. Novartis’s Sandoz unit is appealing.
