A US District Judge has ordered the chief counsel for Biogen, Michael Astrue, and his counterpart at Berlex, Robert Chabora, be deposed concerning a May 21 meeting the two men attended to help the judge determine whether the lawsuit filed by Biogen against Berlex should be heard in Massachusetts (Marketletters passim), reports Reuters. Judge Mark Wolf ordered the depositions to determine if he or US District Judge John Bissell of Newark should preside over the case.
Biogen filed a suit against Berlex in May, which was followed by Berlex filing against Biogen in July. The battle involves allegations that the US Food and Drug Administration violated the Orphan Drug Law by allowing Biogen to sell its multiple sclerosis drug Avonex (interferon beta-1a). Berlex also charges that Avonex is so similar to its own product Betaseron (interferon beta-1b), that Biogen is infringing its patent.
Analysts are suggesting that Avonex has already cut into Betaseron's market share. In its quarterly report for the period ending June 30, Biogen said that it had earned $6.1 million from Avonex sales during the first six weeks on the market.
This article is accessible to registered users, to continue reading please register for free. A free trial will give you access to exclusive features, interviews, round-ups and commentary from the sharpest minds in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology space for a week. If you are already a registered user please login. If your trial has come to an end, you can subscribe here.
Login to your accountTry before you buy
7 day trial access
Become a subscriber
Or £77 per month
The Pharma Letter is an extremely useful and valuable Life Sciences service that brings together a daily update on performance people and products. It’s part of the key information for keeping me informed
Chairman, Sanofi Aventis UK
Copyright © The Pharma Letter 2024 | Headless Content Management with Blaze