US Appeals Court decision favors MSN Pharma in Novartis heart drug Entresto generic dispute
Novartis suffered a legal setback on Wednesday as the company failed to persuade a U.S. appeals court to halt MSN Pharmaceuticals' proposed generic of Entresto, Novartis' blockbuster heart medication.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld an earlier decision by a Delaware federal judge that found Novartis failed to prove it was likely to succeed in its patent lawsuit against MSN Pharmaceuticals, clearing the way for MSN to introduce the first U.S. generic version of Entresto.
As per a Reuters report, Novartis said in a statement that it disagrees with the ruling and is "considering all available options to vigorously defend our intellectual property rights, including further appellate options."
Spokespeople and attorneys for MSN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Entresto is Switzerland-based Novartis' best-selling drug, bringing the company more than $6 billion in revenue last year. MSN's version of Entresto was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July.
The Washington-based appeals court affirmed Andrews' decision on Wednesday and said it saw "no clear error in the district court's analysis."
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