Novartis Gets Justice Roberts to Pause Gilenya Patent Loss (1)

The US Supreme Court paused the cancellation of some of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s patent on the dosage regimen for its blockbuster multiple sclerosis drug Gilenya.

Chief Justice John Roberts accepted Novartis’ request for a stay of a mandate from the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which ruled that several of the patent’s claims were invalid and opened the door for generic drug makers like HEC Pharm Co. to sell copycats.

Issuing the mandate now would lead to a flood of generics into the market and permanently erode Gilenya’s price, Novartis argued in the application.

“And following a ...