[THE INVESTOR] Janssen Biotech, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, dropped its patent infringement case against Samsung Bioepis in the US on Nov. 11, clearing the way for the Korean firm to sell its version of rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade.

Janssen had filed a suit at the US District Court of New Jersey in May seeking a preliminary or permanent injunction to block the biopharmaceutical unit of Samsung Group from selling its biosimilar Renflexis, accusing it of violating three patents. 

“We expect to accelerate sales of Renflexis with Janssen’s withdrawal of the suit,” Samsung Bioepis said in a press release on Nov. 14.

The three patents are related to manufacturing methods of Remicade such as chemically defined media compositions, chemically defined medium for cultured mammalian cells and the use of clathrate modifier to promote passage.

Janssen Biotech took legal action to delay cheaper biosimilar version from entering the market as Remicade is Johnson & Johnson’s best-selling drug, with US sales of about US$5 billion a year.

“When the lawsuit was filed, Samsung Biopies was convinced that it did not infringe any patents and started to sell Renflexis in the US from July, because it believes that the originator firm is trying to postpone the entry of biosimilars in the market,” Samsung Bioepis said.

By Park Han-na (hnpark@heraldcorp.com)