University of Minnesota sues Gilead over hepatitis C drugs

The University of Minnesota has sued Gilead Sciences for allegedly infringing the university’s patent by selling drugs containing sofosbuvir.

The suit, which concerns US patent number 8,815,830, was filed in the US District Court for the District of Minnesota on August 29.

The patent covers antiviral compounds and methods for using those compounds to treat viral infections, such as that caused by hepatitis C virus.

The university alleged that the infringement includes drugs marketed under the names Sovaldi, Harvoni, and Epclusa, which are used to treat hepatitis C.

It claimed that the patent rights were assigned to the university by Dr Carston  Wagner, endowed chair in medicinal chemistry in the university’s college of pharmacy.

“Gilead has reaped tens of billions of dollars in sales of those drugs, without the University’s authorization and without compensating the university,” said the complaint

Gilead reportedly said in a statement: “Gilead strongly believes that it has the sole right to commercialise sofosbuvir in the US.”

It added: “We believe the University of Minnesota’s patent is invalid and is not infringed by the sale of Gilead’s medicines for chronic Hepatitis C.”

Earlier this year, Gilead had been involved in a patent dispute with Merck over sofosbuvir. Gilead was initially found to have infringed Merck’s US patents, numbers 7,105,499 and 8,481,712 and a jury awarded Merck $200 million in damages.

But in June, the ruling was overturned after finding that Merck had engaged in misconduct.