Novartis agreed to pay 180 million dollars to Daiichi Sankyo as compensation for the patent violation of an oncology drug.
The conflict, which dates back to 2017, involves Tafinlar, a therapy for melanoma acquired by Novartis from GSK in 2015.
Plexxikon, the former subsidiary of Daiichi, manufacturer of Zelboraf, argued that GSK scientists obtained key information to develop their drug after consultations with Plexxikon during conversations about a partnership that did not materialize.
In 2021, a jury in Northern California ruled in favor of Plexxikon, determining that Novartis infringed two Daiichi patents.
The Swiss pharmaceutical company was ordered to pay royalties of 9% on Tafinlar sales, totaling more than 177.8 million dollars.
Tafinlar has surpassed Zelboraf sales since its launch, generating 1.7 billion dollars last year, while Daiichi's Zelboraf sales reached approximately 218 million dollars at its peak. The settlement ends years of litigation in this case.
With information from: elEconomista.es
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