J&J Remicade Patent Found Invalid in U.S. Victory for Pfizer

  • Patent is obvious variation of earlier patent, judge rules
  • Pfizer, Celltrion seeking to sell biosimilar of arthritis drug
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A federal judge in Boston invalidated a key patent on Johnson & Johnson’s blockbuster arthritis drug Remicade, increasing the odds that Pfizer Inc. will sell a rival copy in the U.S. J&J pledged to appeal.

U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf in Boston said the antibodies covered by the patent, which expires in 2018, were already disclosed in an earlier patent. The judge also is considering the validity of a second J&J patent, which lawyers said expires in 2027. The hearing is scheduled to continue Thursday.