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- Roche (OTCQX:RHHBY) is closing a patent infringement suit against AstraZeneca (NASDAQ:AZN) related to the rare disease medicine Ultomiris, Fierce Pharma reported.
- AstraZeneca had inherited the rare disease drug Ultomiris after acquiring Alexion Pharmaceuticals.
- Roche’s Chugai Pharmaceutical (OTCPK:CHGCF) (OTCPK:CHGCY) and Alexion signed an agreement to end a 2018 Delaware lawsuit, claiming that Alexion unlawfully used Chugai's patented drug-delivery technology to reduce the dosing frequency for Ultomiris, Fierce Pharma reported citing documents from a Delaware federal court.
- The patent is related to a technology that could extend the half-life of an antibody drug, such as Ultomiris, in the blood, which improves the time duration in which the antibody binds and neutralizes target antigens, according to the report. Chugai had filed a similar lawsuit in Tokyo.
- Chugai had argued that Alexion knew it would be infringing the patent because Alexion had tried to license the technology in 2012-2013, added the report.
- Ultomiris recorded revenue of $688M in FY 2021.