U.S. court upholds dismissal of $200 million Merck verdict against Gilead


A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday affirmed a ruling that pharmaceutical company Merck & Co dishonestly obtained patent rights and was not entitled to collect a $200 million infringement verdict it won against rival Gilead Sciences Inc. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a June 2016 ruling that the two Merck patents, which cover methods of treating Hepatitis C, were unenforceable because of a pattern of misconduct by the company, including lying under oath by one of its in-house lawyers. A Gilead spokesman said the company was very pleased with the ruling and believe it was "justified and well supported by the record."



from Biotech News