Amgen wins battle in Enbrel patent lawsuit

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Amgen Inc., the world’s largest biotechnology company, won a judge’s ruling that its Enbrel arthritis drug doesn’t infringe on a 2002 patent held by Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bloomberg News reported.
“The evidence of record establishes that Enbrel acts outside of cells, rather than inside the cells” as the patent requires, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Pat Thynge wrote in her Sept. 19 ruling.
Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., sued Ariad in federal court in Delaware in 2006 seeking a ruling that it does not infringe, prompting a counterclaim from Ariad last year. Enbrel, which is manufactured at the company’s West Greenwich facility, generated sales of $3.23 billion in 2007, or 22 percent of Amgen’s total. Ariad, based in Cambridge, Mass., reported a $58.5 million net loss on $3.58 million in sales. &#8226