AbbVie Says Humira Antitrust Case Would ‘Upend’ Patent Law

AbbVie Inc. and three other drugmakers say a Northern District of Illinois lawsuit claiming they conspired to delay “biosimilar” versions of AbbVie’s blockbuster arthritis medication Humira would “upend the well-settled balance between the patent and antitrust laws.”

The proposed class action accuses AbbVie of shielding its monopoly on Humira, the world’s top-selling prescription drug, with more than 100 patents, including many obtained after Food and Drug Administration approval that won’t expire until 2034. It was filed by a group of union pension funds in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, where it’s part of a multidistrict ...