Gilead Judge Re-Opens Case Amid Claim Merck Scientist Lied
- Witness is accused of deceiving jury about origins of patent
- Merck was awarded $200 million in fight over hepatatis C cure
An automated machine works on purification of potential HCV drug candidate in the Gilead Sciences Inc. lab in Foster City, California, U.S., on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2012.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergA federal judge re-opened Merck & Co.’s patent case against Gilead Sciences Inc. over a hepatitis C drug amid claims that an ex-Merck scientist lied to a jury that awarded the company $200 million in damages.
U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman said Friday she’s “outraged” about an allegation the now-retired scientist deceived jurors with testimony that he was responsible for early breakthroughs on compounds that led to a cure for the liver disease. Gilead’s development of its Sovaldi and Harvoni medicines helped it become the world’s largest biotechnology firm by market value.