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10 August 2018Americas

Novartis and Breckenridge drop cancer drug dispute

Novartis and Breckenridge settled their differences over a generic version of Novartis’s cancer drug Afinitor (everolimus) earlier this week.

On Tuesday, August 7, Novartis and generics maker Breckenridge submitted a stipulation of dismissal to the US District Court for the District of Delaware. Later that day, District Judge Richard Andrews dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice.

The clash began two years ago, when Breckenridge notified Novartis in April 2016 that it had applied for an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) to sell everolimus tablets.

Afinitor, which delivered $1.5 billion in sales in 2017, is used to treat breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumours and renal cell carcinoma.

After being notified of the ANDA, Novartis took Breckenridge to court in June 2016, accusing the generics maker of infringing US patent numbers 5,665,772; 8,410,131; and 8,778,962.

At the time, Novartis was seeking a finding of infringement, a permanent injunction and damages.

Breckenridge has faced a number of ANDA suits—in July 2016, Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals sued Breckenridge for allegedly infringing two patents related to the deep vein thrombosis drug Xeralto (rivaroxaban).

In March last year, Pfizer took Breckenridge to court over the infringement of its patented drug Xeljanz (tofacitinib), which is given to rheumatoid arthritis patients to help treat moderate to severe pain.

Two months later, in May, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed and remanded a ruling by a district court in a patent dispute between pharmaceutical company Braintree Laboratories and Breckenridge.

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More on this story

Americas
28 July 2016   Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals have sued Breckenridge Pharmaceutical for allegedly infringing two patents related to the deep vein thrombosis treatment drug Xeralto.
Americas
24 March 2017   Pfizer has sued Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Pensa Pharma and Laboratorios del Dr Esteve for patent infringement of its drug Xeljanz.

More on this story

Americas
28 July 2016   Bayer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals have sued Breckenridge Pharmaceutical for allegedly infringing two patents related to the deep vein thrombosis treatment drug Xeralto.
Americas
24 March 2017   Pfizer has sued Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Pensa Pharma and Laboratorios del Dr Esteve for patent infringement of its drug Xeljanz.