>>Amgen wins anemia drug patent suit against Roche
Tue Oct 23, 2007 11:37am EDT
BOSTON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - A Boston jury on Tuesday found that a key patent on Amgen Inc's (AMGN.O: Quote, Profile, Research) top-selling anemia drugs is valid, blocking Roche Holding AG (ROG.VX: Quote, Profile, Research) from launching a rival medicine in the United States.
Earlier this month, William Burns, the chief executive of Roche's pharmaceuticals business, told analysts on a conference call that the Swiss drugmaker would not attempt to launch its anemia drug Mircera in the United States if Amgen were to win the trial.
Amgen's anemia drugs, Aranesp and Epogen, generated sales in 2006 of nearly $7 billion, roughly one-half of Amgen's total revenues. The drugs are man-made versions of a human hormone called erythropoietin, or EPO, that stimulates the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.<<
Cheers, Tuck |
