Pfizer wins $107.5 million from AstraZeneca in US cancer drug patent trial

[May 18, 2024]  By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) - AstraZeneca owes Pfizer $107.5 million in damages, a Delaware federal jury said on Friday after finding that AstraZeneca's blockbuster lung cancer drug Tagrisso violated its Wyeth unit's patent rights.

The jury agreed that AstraZeneca's drug infringed two patents covering methods for treating cancer with the breast-cancer drug Nerlynx, which is sold by Puma Biotechnology. Puma licenses the patents from Pfizer to make its drug.

An AstraZeneca spokesperson said the company was disappointed with the verdict but is "confident in our IP (intellectual property) position in relation to Tagrisso" and will "vigorously defend" its rights.

Representatives for Pfizer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict. Puma is no longer a plaintiff in the case.

Tagrisso earned AstraZeneca nearly $5.8 billion in revenue last year, according to a company report.

A compagny logo is seen at a Pfizer office in Puurs, Belgium, December 2, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo

New York-based Pfizer, which acquired Wyeth in 2009, sued AstraZeneca in 2021. It argued that Tagrisso used kinase inhibitors to treat cancer in the same way as Nerlynx.

AstraZeneca denied infringing the patents and argued that they are invalid.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly will hold a separate bench trial on some of AstraZeneca's remaining defenses in June, which could result in a ruling that negates the verdict.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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