Novartis and Roxane enter settlement over cancer treatment

Novartis and Roxane Laboratories have entered into a settlement agreement following a patent dispute between the parties over a cancer treatment.

The settlement proposal was filed on April 3 at the US District Court for the District of Delaware.

Judge Leonard Stark signed the settlement on Wednesday, April 5, dismissing the case without prejudice and instructing each party to cover its own attorneys’ fees.

Novartis had filed a complaint against Roxane in October 2015, alleging that Roxane was infringing its drug Gleevec (imatinib mesylate) by filing an Abbreviated New Drug Application with the Food and Drug Administration.

Gleevec is used to treat certain types of leukemia, bone marrow disorders, skin cancer, and certain tumours of the stomach and digestive system.

The two patents involved were US numbers 6,894,051 and RE43,932.