Roche And AstraZeneca Settle Ultomiris Patent Lawsuit

Roche Holdings AG RHHBY has decided to close out a patent infringement lawsuit against AstraZeneca plc AZN, centering around the latter's newly acquired rare disease drug Ultomiris for a rare blood disorder.

• Roche's Chugai Pharmaceutical and AstraZeneca's Alexion inked a deal to end a lawsuit claiming Alexion unlawfully used Chugai's patented drug-delivery technology to reduce the dosing frequency for blockbuster Ultomiris, Bloomberg Law and Law 360 reported.
• Chugai filed the Delaware lawsuit in November 2018 against Alexion, alleging that the company used its patented antibody recycling technology to create the drug. 
• The patent at issue here features a technology that could extend the half-life of an antibody drug-like Ultomiris in the blood, "thereby improving the duration of time in which the antibody binds and neutralizes target antigens," according to the lawsuit.
• Chugai argued that Alexion knew it would be infringing the patent because the U.S. rare disease player had tried to license the technology back in 2012 and 2013.
• Price Action: AZN shares are up 1.83% at $60.94, RHHBY stock is up 0.93% at $46.73 during the market session on the last check Tuesday.