PTAB Strikes AbbVie Humira Patent Following Coherus Challenge

The PTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidated a patent for AbbVie’s flagship drug Humira, saying its claims were unpatentable following a challenge by Coherus Biosciences.

The patent covers methods for administering anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha antibodies, such as Humira (adalimumab), for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. It includes a subcutaneous dosing regimen of 40 mg once every two weeks.

The same patent had also been challenged by Boehringer Ingelheim, with the board holding oral arguments for that petition in April.

Humira made up 63 percent of AbbVie’s global net sales in 2016, bringing in $16.1 billion — $10.4 billion in the U.S. alone. Over the past nine months, Amgen’s biosimilar Amjevita (adalimumab-atto) was approved in the U.S., as well as in the European Union as Amgevita.