Amgen Inc sued Novartis AG’s Sandoz in a federal court in the United States on Monday (May 1), accusing Sandoz’s proposed versions of its multibillion-dollar bone-strengthening drugs Prolia and Xgeva of infringing several patents.
Amgen asked the New Jersey court to block Sandoz’s biosimilars of the drugs until its patents expire. One of the patents named in the complaint does not expire until 2037.
Sandoz declined to comment on the lawsuit on Tuesday. Novartis, which is also named in the complaint, is preparing to spin Sandoz off into a standalone company later this year.
Amgen’s Prolia is used to treat osteoporosis. Xgeva, with the same active ingredient denosumab, treats bone cancer and prevents fractures in bone-cancer patients.
Amgen said the proposed biosimilars infringe 21 patents covering Prolia and Xgeva.
