Merck subsidiary awarded $2.5bn in patent case against Gilead

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Merck, has been awarded $2.5 billion in a patent battle against Gilead over Gilead's drugs Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir), treatments for hepatitis C.

The jury at the US District Court for the District of Delaware found that a patent owned by Merck on a hepatitis C treatment was valid and infringed by Gilead.

The patent was originally issued to Idenix, but was transferred to Merck when it acquired Idenix in 2014.

Merck reportedly told  Fortune: "The jury's verdict upholds patent protections that are essential to the development of new medical treatments."

Fortune further reported that Gilead's spokeswoman Michele Rest said that the company disagrees with the verdict and will appeal against it. She also said that Gilead will continue to sell the drugs.

Hepatitis C is a virus affecting up to 150 million people globally.