AbbVie sues Amgen for patent infringement

AbbVie has sued Amgen saying its proposed biosimilar for the Humira (adalimumab) drug infringes 61 patents.

In a complaint filed at the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Thursday, August 4, AbbVie claimed Amgen “seeks to copy" its work and ignores its patents.

The dispute arose after Amgen submitted an abbreviated Biologics License Application at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in November last year, requesting that its biosimilar product adalimumab be licensed for commercial sale. The application was accepted in January this year.

AbbVie is seeking an injunction from the court to prevent Amgen from producing the biosimilar.

Although AbbVie says 61 patents are impacted by the proposed biosimilar the current lawsuit focusses on just ten.

Humira is used to treat multiple types of arthritis as well as psoriasis.

Last year Amgen asked the US Patent and Trademark Office to invalidate two of AbbVie’s patents that cover Amgen’s proposed formulations, but the request was rejected.