Gilead Must Pay Merck $200 Million for Hepatitis C Patents
- Merck demanded royalty saying it paved way for liver remedy
- Gilead failed to convince jury Merck drug patents are invalid
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Gilead Sciences Inc. was ordered by a jury to pay Merck & Co. $200 million for patent infringement over a drug compound that cures hepatitis C, a tenth of what Merck sought.
The verdict announced Thursday follows an earlier finding by the jury embracing Merck’s claims that its scientists were responsible for early breakthroughs that led to the development of the Sovaldi and Harvoni medicines which helped Gilead become the world’s largest biotechnology firm by market value.