Juno Sues Kite Pharma for Infringement of Cancer Therapy Patent

Juno has filed a lawsuit against Kite Pharma for the alleged infringement of eight patent claims covering a cancer immunotherapy that uses a chimeric T cell receptor.

Kite Pharma derived its non-Hodgkin Lymphoma candidate, KTE-C19, from claims in the patent, Juno contends, noting that the company copied specific sequences and receptor constructions. The candidate relies on nucleic acid polymers to encode chimeric TCRs, which fall within the scope of the patent, which expires in August 2024, the lawsuit said.

The complaint also cites a recent PTAB ruling that said Kite failed to show even the lowest standard of evidence to invalidate Juno’s patent in an inter partes review.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, states that Kite Pharma intends to submit a rolling BLA to the FDA for the cancer therapy by the end of December.

Juno is asking the judge to permanently block Kite from further infringement and declare that it willfully infringed on the patent.