US court rules in favor of Celltrion’s biosimilar

[THE INVESTOR] The US District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled Janssen’s Remicade patent invalid on Aug. 17.

This repeats the decision of the US Patent & Trademark Office from February 2015, and brightens the prospect of Celltrion(chairman Seo Jung-jin) and Pfizer’s plan to introduce a biosimilar version of the rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune disease treatment in the US within this year. 

Janssen Biotech filed a suit over Celltrion’s Remsima, saying the South Korean biopharmaceuticals company infringed a patent it claims expires in 2018. The hearing for the validity of the other remaining patent, which Janssen said expires in 2027, will be held on Aug. 18.

Related article : 

Celltrion’s biosimilar might debut in US in October

Although the Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary pledged to appeal, this will accelerate the US debut of the knockoff of the blockbuster drug.

“By winning against a major multinational pharmaceuticals company in the material patent suit, Celltrion has proven its potential,” said an official at the company, adding that “this ruling removes hurdles to launch in the US, the largest biologics drug market in the world.”

By Hwang You-mee (glamazon@heraldcorp.com)