Genmab A/S announced that on March 23, 2010 Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec, Inc. filed a declaratory relief complaint at the US District Court, Southern District of California against Genmab’s collaboration partner GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for patent infringement under US patent No 7,682,612 based on GSK’s manufacture, marketing and sale of Arzerra in the United States for the treatment of fludarabine and alemtuzumab refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).
US patent No 7,682,612 was issued to Genentech, Inc. and Biogen Idec, Inc. on March 23, 2010 and contains a claim to a method of treating CLL with anti-CD20 antibodies, wherein the method does not comprise treatment with radiolabeled anti-CD20 antibodies.
Genmab will in collaboration with GSK assess and analyze the claims under the initiated legal action and determine the appropriate action in response to the complaint.