Celltrion wins trial against Regeneron for US patent lawsuit over biosimilar

South Korean biopharmaceutical company Celltrion Inc. announced Friday that it won its first trial against New York-based biotech giant Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. regarding two patents. 

This lawsuit is related to the US patents for the angiogenic ophthalmic disease treatment Eylea, the original drug of Celltrion’s internally developed biosimilar CT-P42.

Back in May 2021, Pennsylvania-based Mylan N.V. filed for an inter partes review (IPR), a proceeding before the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in which a third party alleges the invalidity of at least one claim of an issued patent. 

Celltrion has been jointly participating in the IPR since last December. The recent ruling by the US Patent Tribunal in favor of Celltrion comes about 11 months since the start of that review. 

Celltrion's two patents in question expire in January and May of 2032, respectively. 

If Celltrion and the join litigants win the remaining lawsuits regarding the US patent violations, CT-P42 will be able to speedily enter the North American market as soon as the biopharma company completes its development. 

Previously, Celltrion filed a lawsuit last September for the invalidation of another Regeneron patent related to Eylea’s formulation and won the suit in March. 

“We are hopeful for CT-P42’s smooth entry into the US market on the back of the latest ruling,” a Celltrion employee said.  

Write to Jae-Young Han at jyhan@hankyung.com
Jee Abbey Lee edited this article.