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12 October 2018Americas

AbbVie secures another Humira settlement

AbbVie has announced yet another settlement relating to litigation over Humira (adalimumab), a drug used to treat multiple types of arthritis as well as psoriasis.

Yesterday, October 11, AbbVie revealed that it had resolved its dispute with Sandoz, granting the generics maker a non-exclusive licence to IP relating to Humira. The licence period will begin on October 16, 2018 in most EU countries and on September 30, 2023 in the US.

Back in August, LSIPR reported that AbbVie had taken Sandoz to court over its biosimilar version of Humira.

In the filing, at the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, AbbVie alleged that Sandoz was infringing a number of patents and claimed that while Sandoz can “delay justice, it cannot prevent it”.

AbbVie claimed that Sandoz had lost six inter partes review proceedings relating to Humira.

AbbVie identified 84 patents that would be infringed, which reportedly included those that Sandoz unsuccessfully challenged at the PTAB.

But, Sandoz had the option to limit the number of patents that AbbVie can assert at this stage.

“Despite its repeated, failed attacks, Sandoz has elected to put off confronting the vast majority of AbbVie’s patents for another day, substantially delaying resolution of the parties’ dispute,” added the claim.

Under the agreement, Sandoz will pay royalties and has acknowledged the validity of the licensed patents.

Laura Schumacher, executive vice president of external affairs and general counsel at AbbVie, said: “We continue to believe biosimilars will play an important role in our healthcare system, but we also believe it is important to protect our investment in innovation. This agreement accomplishes both objectives.”

This settlement is the latest in a long line of licences that AbbVie has secured in relation to Humira.

In July, AbbVie granted Mylan a non-exclusive licence to the Humira patents. In return, Mylan will pay royalties once it launches the biosimilar product.

AbbVie also  secured a settlement with biopharmaceutical company Samsung Bioepis in April this year and, in September last year, AbbVie  announced that it had settled a patent dispute with Amgen.

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More on this story

Americas
13 August 2018   AbbVie has taken Sandoz to court over its biosimilar version of Humira (adalimumab), heightening the dispute between the pair.
Americas
4 April 2019   AbbVie is now facing six antitrust class-action lawsuits which claim that the company illegally stopped competition for its arthritis treatment Humira.
Americas
3 January 2020   California-based Adamas Pharmaceuticals has entered into a settlement agreement with Novartis’ generics unit Sandoz over a treatment for dyskinesia, the involuntary movements in Parkinson’s disease patients.

More on this story

Americas
13 August 2018   AbbVie has taken Sandoz to court over its biosimilar version of Humira (adalimumab), heightening the dispute between the pair.
Americas
4 April 2019   AbbVie is now facing six antitrust class-action lawsuits which claim that the company illegally stopped competition for its arthritis treatment Humira.
Americas
3 January 2020   California-based Adamas Pharmaceuticals has entered into a settlement agreement with Novartis’ generics unit Sandoz over a treatment for dyskinesia, the involuntary movements in Parkinson’s disease patients.