Novartis Prevails in Antitrust Suits Over Leukemia Drug

A federal appeals court affirmed last week that Novartis did not engage in antitrust violations to protect a patent on its leukemia drug Gleevec (imatinib).

In 2016, a group of health plans and a direct purchaser filed two class action lawsuits claiming Novartis had defrauded the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to secure an improper follow-on patent for Gleevec.

The plaintiffs, including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and the United Food and Commercial Workers Unions and Employers Midwest Health Benefits Fund, also accused Novartis of filing frivolous complaints against generic drugmakers to maintain its market share. In 2017, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts found the plaintiffs did not adequately prove their case.