China’s Harbour BioMed to focus on another patent case after $20 million damages award

SHANGHAI, June 15 (Reuters) – China’s Harbour BioMed said on Monday it would focus on another patent infringement case with “substantially greater financial implications” after a court victory in an intellectual property dispute with U.S. drugmaker Amgen.

A federal jury in Delaware said on Friday that Amgen subsidiary Teneobio must ‌pay Harbour subsidiary Harbour Antibodies $20.2 million in damages for infringing a patent related to antibodies used in ​biologic drugs.

“Harbour BioMed will continue to enforce its broader patent portfolio, with a focus on another patent with substantially greater financial implications — potentially representing up to ten times the damages awarded in this case,” Harbour said in a statement.

Harbour did not immediately respond to a request for comment about which patent it was referring to in the statement.

The Chinese antibody specialist, which collaborates with bigger drugmakers including AstraZeneca and Bristol Myers Squibb, added that the verdict last week was an “epic victory” that was “reshaping the global antibody patent landscape”.

An ​Amgen spokesperson ⁠told Reuters after the verdict last week that the company would pursue “certain important legal issues with the court in post-trial proceedings.”

(Reporting by Andrew Silver; Editing by Jamie Freed)