Genentech and Samsung Bioepis settle patent dispute over cancer biosimilar

US-based biotechnology company Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, has entered into a settlement agreement with Samsung Bioepis, ending all patent litigation between the two companies.

In an order on July 1, the US District Court for the District of Delaware said each party had dismissed all claims against another and will bear its own costs.

The dispute dates to September 2018, when Genentech sued South Korea-based Samsung Bioepis for patent infringement.

Genentech claimed that Samsung’s Ontruzant (trastuzumab), a breast cancer treatment which is a biosimilar of Genentech's Herceptin (trastuzumab), infringed 21 of its patents.

According to South Korean news agency, Yonhap, the two companies have reached a licensing agreement which will allow Samsung Boepis to distribute, market and sell Ontruzant in the US.

Ontruzant, which is also used to treat patients with gastric cancer, was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for sale in the country in January this year.

The companies did not disclose the details of the settlement.

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