Merck triumphs over Gilead in patent dispute

23 March 2016

A US federal court has found in favor of Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) and Ionis Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: IONS) in a high-profile patent dispute with Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD) over its sofosbuvir-based blockbuster medicines for hepatitis C, it has been announced.

The verdict allows Merck and Ionis, who are co-inventors on the patents, to seek more than $2 billion in damages from Gilead, whose sofosbuvir-based drugs, including Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir/sofosbuvir) have generated more than $20 billion in US sales since 2013.

The court battle began more than two years ago after Merck claimed that sofosbuvir was developed by its scientists more than 15 years ago and accused Gilead of infringing its patents.

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