The biotech company alleges that Roche’s Cera infringes six patents owned by the company covering erythropoietin (EPO) which forms the bases of its own anemia treatment, Epogen.
Amgen seeks a permanent injunction preventing the Roche subsidiaries from making, importing, using, offering for sale or selling recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO), including pegylated EPO, in the US.
However, Roche does not believe that Cera infringes on the Amgen patents and is set to move ahead with its attempts to gain US regulatory approval for the drug which it hopes to receive in late 2006.
The Roche subsidiaries that are the subject of the legal proceedings are F. Hoffmann-LaRoche Ltd, Roche Diagnostics GmbH, and Hoffmann-LaRoche, Inc.
Amgen markets Epogen (Epoetin alfa) for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic renal failure for patients on dialysis.