Amgen Prevails in Patent Fight

Amgen Inc. prevailed in federal court Wednesday when a Delaware jury determined that the cholesterol drug Praluent infringed on two Amgen patents for its cholesterol drug Repatha. The Thousand Oaks biotech in Oct. 2014 brought suit against Praluent’s owners, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. of Tarrytown, N.Y. and Sanofi of Paris. Regeneron and Sanofi defended their product, challenging the validity of the patents. The jury sided with Amgen, stating that the two defendants failed to show that the patents had a lack of description and enablement, deeming them valid. Regeneron and Sanofi plan on appealing the judgment, which could take a year or more. At this time, the ruling will not affect marketing and distribution of Praluent, which registered over $10 billion in global sales in 2015. “We are thankful that the jury weighed the evidence carefully and recognized the validity of Amgen’s patents on Repatha, our innovative biologic molecule that reduces LDL cholesterol,” Chief Executive of Amgen Robert A. Bradway said in a statement. Amgen shares on Thursday closed up 15 cents, or less than a percent, to $144.13 on the Nasdaq.