US Judge Overturns Eli Lilly’s $176.5 Million Loss in Teva Patent Case

Drugmaker Eli Lilly has successfully persuaded a federal judge in Massachusetts to overturn a jury verdict that awarded $176.5 million to Teva Pharmaceutical. The jury had previously determined that Lilly’s migraine medication, Emgality, infringed upon three patents related to Teva’s competing drug, Ajovy.

In a post-trial ruling, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs deemed the Teva patents invalid, stating that they covered the use of antibodies to inhibit headache-inducing peptides.

Judge Burroughs emphasized that overturning a jury’s verdict is not a decision taken lightly. Representatives from both companies did not provide immediate comments regarding the ruling.

In the previous year, Eli Lilly generated over $650 million from Emgality sales globally, whereas Teva recorded $377 million from Ajovy, according to their respective reports.

Teva initiated the lawsuit against Lilly in 2018. On the same day the lawsuit was filed, the court dismissed two related actions by Teva that aimed to prevent Emgality from entering the U.S. market.

In November, a jury had ruled in favor of Teva, awarding them $176.5 million and dismissing Lilly’s claim that the patents were invalid. However, Judge Burroughs reversed this decision, finding that the patents were overly broad and did not provide sufficient guidance for scientists to recreate the antibodies without excessive experimentation.