Idenix Pharmaceuticals Files Patent Infringement Lawsuits Against Gilead Sciences in Europe
March 14 2014 - 7:00AM
Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. / Idenix Pharmaceuticals Files
Patent Infringement Lawsuits Against Gilead Sciences in Europe .
Processed and transmitted by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions. The
issuer is solely responsible for the content of this
announcement.
Granted European Patent Covering 2'-Methyl-2'-Fluoro Nucleosides
for Treating Hepatitis C Virus
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 14, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
-- Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq:IDIX), a biopharmaceutical
company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the
treatment of human viral diseases, today announced that it has
filed patent infringement lawsuits against Gilead Sciences, Inc.
(Nasdaq:GILD) and/or certain of its subsidiaries in each of three
countries - France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The lawsuits allege that Gilead infringes Idenix's
recently-granted, co-owned European patent EP 1 523 489 that covers
2'-methyl-2'-fluoro nucleosides for treating the hepatitis C virus.
In these lawsuits, Idenix is seeking remedies with respect to
Gilead's marketing and sales of drugs containing sofosbuvir, which
Idenix believes infringes its European patent.
"We are pleased to have been granted this European
patent, and today's filings further confirm Idenix's conviction in
the strength of our intellectual property portfolio and the resolve
we have to protect it," said Maria Stahl, senior vice president and
general counsel at Idenix. "Idenix has invested significant
resources in nucleoside drug discovery and in building a valuable
intellectual property portfolio - and we will continue to
vigorously defend it. These proceedings, along with the U.S.
infringement actions we filed in December, are part of a concerted
effort to safeguard these technologies."
Other Ongoing Patent
Disputes
Idenix has several ongoing litigation and
administrative matters involving Gilead Sciences, Inc., and/or
certain of its subsidiaries. In December 2013, Idenix announced it
filed two lawsuits against Gilead: a patent infringement lawsuit in
the United States District Court in Boston, Massachusetts (Idenix
U.S. Patents 6,914,054 and 7,608,597) and a separate patent
infringement and interference lawsuit in the United States District
Court in Wilmington, Delaware (Idenix U.S. Patent 7,608,600 and
Gilead U.S. Patent 8,415,322).
In February 2012, the U.S. Patent and Trademark
Office, or USPTO, initiated a patent interference between one of
Idenix's co-owned patent applications and a patent owned by Gilead.
In January 2014, the USPTO determined that Idenix is not entitled
to priority of invention and judgment was entered in favor of
Gilead. Idenix challenged this decision in the U.S. District Court
for the District of Delaware.
In December 2013, the USPTO declared a second
patent interference between Idenix's U.S. Patent 7,608,600 and
Gilead's U.S. Patent Application 11/854,218, both related to the
use of certain 2'-methyl-2'-fluoro nucleoside compounds to treat
HCV infections.
In August 2013, Idenix filed a request with the
Chinese Patent Office's Patent Re-examination Board, or the PRB, to
invalidate Gilead's Chinese Patent No. ZL.200480019148.4.
Gilead Sciences has also filed suit against Idenix
in various jurisdictions outside the United States (Canada, Norway
and Australia) to invalidate granted Idenix patents covering
certain 2'-methyl-2'-fluoro nucleoside compounds and their use in
treating HCV or other Flaviviridae viruses.
ABOUT IDENIX
Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a biopharmaceutical Company engaged in
the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human
viral diseases. Idenix's current focus is on the treatment of
patients with hepatitis C infection. For further information about
Idenix, please refer to www.idenix.com.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This press release contains "forward-looking
statements" for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including but not
limited to the statements regarding the Company's future business
and financial performance. For this purpose, any statements
contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be
deemed forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing,
the words "expect," "plans," "will," and similar expressions are
also intended to identify forward-looking statements, as are
expressed or implied statements with respect to the Company's
litigation strategy. Actual results may differ materially from
those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of
risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the
following: the Company's ability to maintain and enforce patent and
other intellectual property protection for its product candidates
and its discoveries. Such forward-looking statements involve known
and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause
actual results to be materially different from any future results,
performance or achievements expressed or implied by such
statements. These and other risks which may impact management's
expectations are described in greater detail under the heading
"Risk Factors" in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2013 as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) and in any subsequent periodic or current
report that the Company files with the SEC.
All forward-looking statements reflect the
Company's estimates only as of the date of this release (unless
another date is indicated) and should not be relied upon as
reflecting the Company's views, expectations or beliefs at any date
subsequent to the date of this release. While Idenix may elect to
update these forward-looking statements at some point in the
future, it specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if
the Company's estimates change.
CONTACT: Idenix Pharmaceuticals Contact:
Teri Dahlman (617) 995-9807
This
announcement is distributed by NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions on
behalf of NASDAQ OMX Corporate Solutions clients.
The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely
responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the
information contained therein.
Source: Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. via
Globenewswire
HUG#1768761
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