Court Blocks Competitor to Amgen’s Repatha

Amgen Inc. has successfully blocked Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Sanofi from selling a competitor to its cholesterol drug Repatha. The Thousand Oaks biotech on Thursday announced that the U.S. District Court in Delaware approved its request for a permanent injunction, which prevents the companies from distributing their cholesterol drug Praluent due to infringement on two of Amgen’s patents. The injunction will go into effect 30 days after the approval, providing time for the defendants to seek further review of the decision. “We are pleased with today’s decision that recognizes Amgen is entitled to an injunction against further infringement of our patent rights,” Amgen Chief Executive Robert Bradway said in a statement. “Sanofi and Regeneron admitted that they had infringed our patents, and the jury upheld our patents as valid.” Amgen brought suit against New York-based Regeneron and French pharmaceutical company Sanofi in late 2014, and in 2016, Amgen’s patents were deemed valid. Both drugs were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2015. Repatha generated $40 million worldwide in the third quarter of 2016, according to the company’s latest financial report. Amgen said scaling up to meet demand will not be an issue, and the company will help patients who wish to make the switch from Praluent to Repatha. Amgen shares closed Friday up $3.80, or 2.5 percent, to $156.78 on the Nasdaq.