(Reuters) – The U.S. patent office will review patents on Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc’s blood disorder treatment Soliris, after Amgen Inc challenged them, court filings showed on Friday.
The move deals a blow to Alexion’s efforts to ward off competition for its top-selling drug, which accounted for nearly 82% of the drugmaker’s total revenue in the latest quarter.
Alexion’s shares fell 10.4% to $100.51, while Amgen’s were marginally higher at $208.21.
Amgen is contesting the U.S. patents to Soliris that extend the drug’s market exclusivity to 2027 from 2022.
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board, an administrative court run by the U.S. patent office, said on Friday it was instituting an inter partes review (IPR) on the patents.
The IPR is seeking to invalidate new patents covering the composition of the main ingredient of Soliris, eculizumab, its formulation, and its use to treat blood disorder proxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).
Soliris is approved for four…
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