Appeals Court Upholds $415 Million Award Against Actelion for Malicious Interference

A California appeals court Dec. 18 upheld a $415 million award against a Swiss biotech company for interfering with a licensing agreement to develop and market a pulmonary arterial hypertension drug (Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp. v. Actelion Ltd., Cal. Ct. App., A133927, 12/18/13).

The unanimous court in a partially published decision held that Actelion Ltd., maker of the blockbuster drug Tracleer, maliciously interfered with a 2006 licensing agreement that Japan-based Asahi Kasei Pharma Corp. had with CoTherix Inc. to develop and market Fasudil, an antihypertensive agent that would compete with Tracleer.

Actelion, through a subsidiary, had acquired ...