Roche settles US patent lawsuit against Biogen over blockbuster arthritis drug

[October 24, 2023]  By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) - Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has settled a patent lawsuit against U.S. biotech firm Biogen over its biosimilar version of Roche's blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Actemra, according to a filing on Monday in Massachusetts federal court.

Roche and its subsidiaries Genentech and Chugai Pharmaceutical jointly told the court without providing further details that they, Biogen and its manufacturer Bio-Thera had agreed to settle the case.

A spokesperson for Genentech declined to comment. Representatives for Biogen and Bio-Thera did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Biosimilars are versions of biologic drugs that are comparable to generics of traditional small-molecule drugs. Unlike traditional drugs, complex biologic drugs are made from living cells and cannot be copied exactly.

Roche reported that it earned more than 2.7 billion Swiss francs - more than $3 billion based on current exchange rates - from worldwide sales of its biologic Actemra last year. Actemra sales were down 22% from 2021 based on decreased demand for the drug as a COVID-19 treatment.

The logo of Swiss drugmaker Roche is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month approved Biogen's Tofidence, the first approved biosimilar to Actemra. Roche's lawsuit, filed in July, said the biosimilar would infringe several patents related to the manufacture and use of its biologic drug.

Biogen and Bio-Thera did not respond to the allegations in court.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David Bario and Will Dunham)

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