Court of Appeals Overturns $1.8B Patent Verdict for Johnson & Johnson Subsidiary

Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. today received a decision from the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. overturning a 2009 federal court jury verdict that awarded the company $1.8 billion after finding Abbott Laboratories ABT liable for patent infringement. A panel of the court ruled that the patent relating to Centocor anti-tumor necrosis factor -alpha rheumatoid arthritis treatments was invalid. "We are disappointed by the decision," said Rob Bazemore, president of Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. "We are considering whether to ask for reconsideration by the panel or by the court of appeals as a whole." The original verdict was returned in June 2009 by a U.S. District Court jury in Marshall, Texas. The patent is co-owned by New York University and Centocor, the exclusive licensee. Centocor Ortho Biotech Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson JNJ.