AstraZeneca has been ordered to pay $107.5 million to Pfizer in damages for infringing Pfizer's patents, Reuter's reported May 17.
A jury found that Tagrisso, an AstraZeneca lung cancer drug, violated Pfizer's Wyeth unit's patent rights under two patents. Pfizer claimed Tagrisso's use of kinase inhibitors for cancer treatment infringed on its patent for Nerlynx, a breast cancer drug. AstraZeneca refuted the allegations and challenged the validity of the patents.
The U.S. District Court in Delaware ruled in favor of Pfizer; however, the case is set to continue in a separate bench trial in June to address AstraZeneca's remaining defenses. The trial could overturn the current verdict.
AstraZeneca's spokesperson told the news outlet that the company is disappointed with the verdict but is "confident in our intellectual property position in relation to Tagrisso" and intends to "vigorously defend" its rights.