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AstraZeneca pays $775 mln to settle drug dispute with Japan’s Chugai

British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc will pay $775 million to settle a patent dispute with Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd related to rare disease treatment Ultomiris. (AFP)
British drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc will pay $775 million to settle a patent dispute with Japan's Chugai Pharmaceutical Co Ltd related to rare disease treatment Ultomiris. (AFP)
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17 Mar 2022 05:03:41 GMT9
17 Mar 2022 05:03:41 GMT9

Anglo-Swedish drugmaker AstraZeneca Plc said on Thursday it would pay $775 million to settle a patent dispute with Japan’s Chugai Pharmaceutical involving lucrative rare disease treatment Ultomiris.

Both AstraZeneca and Chugai will withdraw patent infringement cases filed in the United States and Japan dating back to 2018 as part of the settlement, the London-listed company said in a statement.

AstraZeneca will book the settlement payment as a charge in its first-quarter results. The payment won’t affect its annual financial forecasts.

Ultomiris, which fetched nearly $700 million in 2021 sales, is developed by AstraZeneca’s rare disease division Alexion, a U.S. drugmaker acquired by the British firm last year for $39 billion.

The drug was initially developed as a treatment for the neurological disorder ALS, but Alexion halted these efforts last year after lack of efficacy in a late-stage trial.

Ultomiris is currently approved in some markets as a treatment for two rare diseases – atypical-HUS, a condition that affects kidney function, and PNH, a serious blood disorder.

Reuters

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