Bristol-Myers and Pfizer Win on Eliquis patents

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. won a federal court decision on August 5, 2020, upholding two patents on their best-selling Eliquis blood-thinner drug. In 2007, in order to co-develop Eliquis, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. entered into a partnership agreement. Launched in 2012, Eliquis is now one of the best-selling drugs in the world with reported sales of $7.9 billion in 2019.

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The August court ruling held that the Eliquis patents were violated by generic versions of Eliquis developed by pharmaceutical companies such as Sigma pharm, Sunshine Lake, and Unichem. The ruling blocks the introduction of copycat versions of the blood-thinner product by generic companies for at least six years.

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In December 2019, Eliquis's first generic version was approved. In an attempt to block the market entry of generic drugs and preserve the significant position of Eliquis in the pharmaceutical industry, Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. submitted several proceedings in advance of that regulatory approval. Bristol-Myers as the ruling from August shows the Bristol-Myers Squibb-Pfizer partnership has achieved this preemptive strategy.

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The positive decision of August led both to an increase of the stocks of Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Pfizer Inc. because the news and the possibility of continued market domination have been favored by investors and traders. "We believe that this decision indicates the innovative science behind Eliquis and the strength of our intellectual property (IP)," said Bristol-Miers-Squibb-Pfizer Alliance in a press release issued on August 5, 2020.

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Alliance acknowledged that the August ruling was "appealable." However, it claimed that "the currently involved generic manufacturers cannot launch apixaban products until 2031”.

Sigma pharm and Unichem both appealed the decision of 5 August 2020, and whether it is upheld on appeal remains to be seen.

"This article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, or as a substitute for the medical advice of a physician."