Sanofi’s Genzyme Sues Allergan for Royalties on Juvederm
By - May 16, 2011 5:45 PM ET
Sanofi-Aventis SA (SAN)’s Genzyme unit sued Allergan Inc. for patent royalties on sales of wrinkle filler Juvederm.
Genzyme, which has a patent for a gel used to augment soft tissue, claims Irvine, California-based Allergan has refused to make payments for sales of Juvederm Ultra, Ultra Plus, Ultra XC and Ultra Plus XC. Genzyme is demanding compensation and an order blocking further use of its invention without permission, according to the complaint today in federal court in Boston.
Allergan, which also makes the Botox treatment, had been paying Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Genzyme on a patent that expired in July 2010, according to the complaint. Genzyme sued because Allergan declined a request to continue paying the same royalties through the March 2012 expiration of a second patent.
Allergan is reviewing the complaint and has no comment, said Caroline Van Hove, a spokeswoman for the company.
Juvederm is an injection to fill in wrinkles around the nose and mouth. Allergan doesn’t break out sales of the product.
Paris-based Sanofi, France’s biggest drugmaker, bought Genzyme last month for about $20 billion.
The case is Genzyme Corp. v. Allergan Inc., 11cv10868, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Boston).
To contact the reporter on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Allan Holmes at aholmes25@bloomberg.net
Genzyme, which has a patent for a gel used to augment soft tissue, claims Irvine, California-based Allergan has refused to make payments for sales of Juvederm Ultra, Ultra Plus, Ultra XC and Ultra Plus XC. Genzyme is demanding compensation and an order blocking further use of its invention without permission, according to the complaint today in federal court in Boston.
Allergan, which also makes the Botox treatment, had been paying Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Genzyme on a patent that expired in July 2010, according to the complaint. Genzyme sued because Allergan declined a request to continue paying the same royalties through the March 2012 expiration of a second patent.
Allergan is reviewing the complaint and has no comment, said Caroline Van Hove, a spokeswoman for the company.
Juvederm is an injection to fill in wrinkles around the nose and mouth. Allergan doesn’t break out sales of the product.
Paris-based Sanofi, France’s biggest drugmaker, bought Genzyme last month for about $20 billion.
The case is Genzyme Corp. v. Allergan Inc., 11cv10868, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Boston).
To contact the reporter on this story: Susan Decker in Washington at sdecker1@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Allan Holmes at aholmes25@bloomberg.net
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