Shire wins Lialda PTAB case against Bass

Hedge fund manager Kyle Bass has lost a patent case against Shire over the drug Lialda (mesalamine).

The case was decided at the US Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on Wednesday, October 5.

According to a statement released by Shire, the PTAB upheld the validity of US patent number 6,773,720, which had been challenged by Bass.

Lialda is used to treat active, mild to moderate ulcerative colitis.

The company said: “Shire is pleased with the decision and will continue to vigorously defend its patents to protect the innovation and value Shire products bring to patients.”

As reported by Bloomberg, the PTAB rejected arguments by Bass’s Coalition for Affordable Drugs that the patent should not have been issued because it covered old ideas.

The coalition reportedly said in a statement after the ruling that Bass was “frustrated” as it “enables Shire to improperly maintain government-granted monopoly and to exploit the US healthcare system, doubling the price of Lialda since 2007”.

Lialda is the only once-daily mesalamine product, as there have not been any approvals of generic versions of the drug.