|
 In June, Gilead was freed from paying up $200 million in damages for
infringing two Merck patents related to Gilead's blockbuster drugs
Sovaldi and Harvoni, after a U.S. judge found a pattern of
misconduct by Merck including lying under oath and other unethical
practices.
In a filing on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman
said that Gilead was entitled to relief from the fees it incurred
while defending the case.
Merck is trying to catch up to Gilead, which dominates the market on
a new generation of hepatitis C drugs that can cure well over 90
percent of patients with the liver disease.
The case dates back to 2013 when Gilead and Merck sued each other,
claiming ownership of laboratory work underlying sofosbuvir, the
active ingredient in Gilead's drugs.
The case is Gilead Sciences, Inc v Merck & Co, Inc, in the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California, No.
13-cv-4057.
(Reporting by Anya George Tharakan in Bengaluru; Editing by Leslie
Adler)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
|
