Roche's siege on Amgen anemia-drugs territory is ending with a whimper. A jury ruled that the Swiss drug maker's Mircera product infringes three Amgen patents. Short of "evaluating its legal options" in hopes of a valid appeal, there's little Roche can do to fight back now.
Roche had hoped to roll out Mircera in the U.S. this year. Roche has already introduced Mircera in several EU countries; it expects FDA approval for the drug next month. But armed with its validated patents, Amgen now plans to seek an injunction to stop the product Stateside. Mircera would compete with Epogen and Aranesp, which remain Amgen's cash-cow drugs even as debates rage over their safety.
- see Amgen's release
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