A U.S. appeals court overruled its prior decision, deciding that the patent for Novartis AG’s blockbuster drug Gilenya was invalid.
The decision dealt a blow against the Swiss pharmaceutical company as it potentially paves the way for the introduction of cheaper generic versions of the drug. Though the drug made $2.8 billion in 2021 globally, this was already a drop in revenue compared with previous sales due to increased competition, the company reported.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed its own 2020 ruling (pdf) in Novartis’s lawsuit against the Chinese drug maker, HEC Pharm Co. on June 21….