Pfizer sued for patent infringement over COVID-19 drug Paxlovid

Watertown, Massachusetts-based Enanta told the court it received the patent for its antiviral medication last week based on applications dating from July 2020. The company said it began human testing for its once-daily, oral COVID treatment in February, and that the Food and Drug Administration fast-tracked its review in March.

Enanta requested an unspecified amount of money damages from Pfizer, including royalties. It also said in a statement that it was not asking the court to block Pfizer from selling Paxlovid.

Paxlovid is an oral antiviral pill for high-risk patients that is intended to stave off serious complications from COVID-19. Pfizer said last month it expects to make $22 billion from Paxlovid sales this year.

The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.

Enanta's patent covers a chemical compound that blocks the coronavirus from reproducing. The lawsuit said Paxlovid works in the same way as Enanta's patented antiviral.

Read also: Pfizer's COVID drug Paxlovid fails to show benefit as preventive therapy

The number of patent lawsuits over COVID vaccines and treatments has risen in recent months. Multiple pharmaceutical companies have sued Pfizer and Moderna Inc over technology used in their vaccines, and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc is facing a lawsuit over its breakthrough COVID antibody cocktail.

The case is Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc v. Pfizer Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No. 1:22-cv-10967.