AstraZeneca, Alembic Settle Patent Suit on Cancer Drug Tagrisso

AstraZeneca PLC ended its lawsuit over Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd.'s proposed generic version of the blockbuster drug Tagrisso, a lung cancer treatment whose U.S. sales were nearly 5% of AstraZeneca’s 2021 revenue, after a federal court in Delaware signed off on the their settlement agreement Monday.

Alembic is blocked from making Tagrisso copies until the patent has expired, “except as specifically authorized” in the confidential settlement agreement, according to a consent judgment approved by Judge Richard G. Andrews of the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

The patent covers pharmaceutical compositions comprising osimertinib mesylate, Tagrisso’s active ingredient, and methods ...