Eisai, Merck Keep Lenvima Patent, Foil Shilpa’s Challenge (1)

Eisai Co. Ltd. and Merck & Co. beat Shilpa Medicare Ltd.'s bid to cancel a key patent for the blockbuster cancer drug Lenvima, a federal judge said in a ruling that could block Shilpa’s copies for another decade.

Judge Christine P. O’Hearn found Eisai presented enough evidence that US Patent No. 11,186,547 describes the invention clearly and in sufficient detail to defeat Shilpa’s invalidity arguments, according to an order issued from the bench Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.

The patent covers a purified form of Lenvima’s active ingredient, lenvatinib mesylate, and a method ...