Johnson & Johnson took a major blow in its ongoing legal battle with rival drug giant Pfizer over a patent for its best-selling autoimmune drug Remicade. A judge for the District of Massachusetts federal court ruled that a key patent for the drug is invalid, allowing cheaper biosimilar versions to enter the market, reports The New York Times.
Here are six things to know:
- Remicade — an injected biologic used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis psoriasis and Crohn's disease — costs at least $1,600 a month without insurance. The drug is Johnson & Johnson's biggest product, posting $6.6 billion in sales last year.
- Celltrion and Pfizer-owned Hospira created a biosimilar version of the drug called Inflectra, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in April.
- In March 2015, Johnson & Johnson filed a lawsuit against Celltrion and Pfizer, claiming Inflectra infringed upon patent rights for Remicade.
- Now that Johnson & Johnson's key patent for Remicade is invalid, New York-based Pfizer is expected to launch Inflectra in the next few months. The FDA's approval of the drug allows sales to begin on Oct. 3.
- Analysts predict the biosimilar could save patients and insurers around 15 to 30 percent in drug costs.
- New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson said it plans to appeal the court's decision in a process that could take a year or more. The newly invalidated patent would have prevented all biosimilar versions of Remicade from hitting the market until Sep. 2018, reported Reuters.
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