agreement, the Company agreed to pay $2,750 in exchange for the dismissal, with prejudice, of each plaintiff’s lawsuit against the Company and a release of claims related to such lawsuits. The settlement agreement was executed by the Company and all 27 plaintiffs, and the amounts subject to the settlement agreement were paid. As of April 19, 2022, the Company was dismissed, with prejudice, from each of the 27 cases.
The Company entered into this settlement to efficiently resolve this litigation and does not admit any liability or acknowledge any wrongdoing in connection with the settlement agreement.
Aquestive Litigation
On October 29, 2013, Reckitt Benckiser, Inc., Indivior PLC (formerly RB Pharmaceuticals Limited, “Indivior”), and Aquestive Therapeutics, Inc. (formerly MonoSol Rx, “Aquestive”) (collectively, the “RB Plaintiffs”) filed an action against BDSI relating to its Bunavail product in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (“EDNC”) for alleged patent infringement. Bunavail is a drug approved for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence. This case was dismissed, but the RB Plaintiffs subsequently filed an action against BDSI, on September 22, 2014, relating to Bunavail product in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey for alleged patent infringement. The RB Plaintiffs claimed that Bunavail, whose formulation and manufacturing processes have never been disclosed publicly, infringes its patent U.S. Patent No. 8,765,167 (the “‘167 Patent”).
On January 13, 2017, Aquestive filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey alleging Belbuca infringes the ‘167 Patent.
On March 8, 2023, the parties filed a stipulation of dismissal. The RB Plaintiffs dismissed their claims with prejudice, and BDSI dismissed its counterclaims without prejudice. Under the terms of the settlement agreement, BDSI resolved both the Bunavail and Belbuca litigations in exchange for a one-time, lump-sum payment of $8,500 to Aquestive.
Chemo Research, S.L
On March 1, 2019, BDSI filed a complaint for patent infringement in United States District Court for the District of Delaware against Chemo Research, S.L., Insud Pharma S.L., IntelGenx Corp., and IntelGenx Technologies Corp. (collectively, the “Chemo Defendants”), asserting that the Chemo Defendants infringe its Orange Book-listed patents for BELBUCA, including U.S. Patent Nos. 8,147,866 (“’866 patent”) and 9,655,843, (“’843 patent”) both expiring in July of 2027, and U.S. Patent No. 9,901,539 (“’539 patent”) expiring December of 2032 (collectively, “the BEMA patents”). This complaint follows a receipt by BDSI on January 31, 2019, of a Notice Letter from Chemo Research S.L. stating that it has filed with the FDA an abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”) containing a Paragraph IV Patent Certification, for a generic version of BELBUCA Buccal Film in strengths 75 mcg, 150 mcg, 300 mcg, 450 mcg, and 900 mcg. Because BDSI initiated a patent infringement suit asserting the patents identified in the Notice Letter within 45 days after receipt, the FDA is prevented from approving the ANDA until the earlier of 30 months or a decision in the case that each of the patents is not infringed or invalid. On March 15, 2019, BDSI filed a complaint against the Chemo Defendants in the Federal District Court for the District of New Jersey asserting the same claims for patent infringement made in the Delaware lawsuit. On April 19, 2019, Defendants filed an answer to the Delaware complaint wherein they denied infringement of the ’866, ’843 and ’539 patents and asserted counterclaims seeking declaratory relief concerning the alleged invalidity and non-infringement of such patents.
On April 25, 2019, BDSI voluntarily dismissed the New Jersey lawsuit given Defendants’ consent to jurisdiction in Delaware.
The trial to adjudicate issues concerning the validity of the Orange Book-listed patents covering BELBUCA was held from March 1-3, 2021. Chemo did not participate in the bench trial. Instead, on February 26, 2021, Chemo agreed to be bound by the decision of the Court with respect to the validity of the BEMA patents from the March 1-3, 2021 trial with Alvogen. On December 20, 2021, the Court issued an opinion upholding the validity of certain claims in BDSI’s ʼ866 patent, which expires in 2027, and certain claims in the ’539 patent, which expires in 2032, to which Chemo is bound. This holding was affirmed on appeal by the Federal Circuit on December 21, 2022. The bench trial to adjudicate issues concerning the Chemo Defendants’ infringement of the Orange Book patents was set to commence on April 25, 2022. On March 30, 2022, the Court vacated the trial and has not yet set a new trial date.