AbbVie Dodges Antitrust Challenge to Its Humira ‘Patent Thicket’

AbbVie Inc., Amgen Inc., a Samsung subsidiary, and Novartis unit Sandoz Inc. don’t have to face antitrust claims over patent infringement settlements that delayed generic competition for the blockbuster arthritis drug Humira, a Chicago federal judge ruled Monday.

“AbbVie has exploited advantages conferred on it through lawful practices,” Judge Manish S. Shah wrote. “To the extent this has kept prices high for Humira, existing antitrust doctrine does not prohibit it.”

The proposed class action accused AbbVie of shielding its monopoly on Humira—the country’s top-selling prescription drug, with $20 billion a year in global sales—with more than 100 patents, ...