US supreme court confirms Amgen’s cholesterol antibody patents invalid

A 3d illustration of a

Source: © Ramon Andrade 3Dciencia/Science Photo Library

Decision could mean patent descriptions need to be even more detailed, and hence expensive

US supreme court ruling that invalidates two of Amgen’s patents relating to blockbuster cholesterol drug Repatha (evolocumab) is sparking concern among legal experts.

On 18 May, the court’s nine justices unanimously upheld a lower court’s decision that Amgen had failed to provide sufficient information to allow others to recreate the full scope of its claimed innovation.