Merck Wins Patent Ruling on Viatris’ Copies of Diabetes Drugs

Merck & Co. won a West Virginia federal judge’s ruling that generic versions of Januvia and Janumet proposed by Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. infringe two patents related to an active ingredient in the diabetes treatments, whose US sales provided $1.77 billion of Merck’s 2021 revenue.

Judge Irene M. Keeley also rejected the Viatris Inc. subsidiary’s arguments for canceling one of the patents, according to a judgment issued Wednesday in the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia. Keeley issued her ruling under seal, and no redacted version is yet available.

One patent covers the dihydrogen phosphate salt of ...