OKLAHOMA CITY—A lawsuit filed by the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation against a Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company has been settled for $10 million, both parties announced Thursday.
OMRF, a private, nonprofit biomedical research institute, sued
In a joint statement released Thursday, OMRF and Alexion said that Alexion had agreed to acquire from OMRF all rights to the patents related to the FDA-approved drug Soliris.
Soliris is used to treat patients with a condition known as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or PNH, which is described as a "rare, debilitating and life-threatening disease."
The disease can cause kidney failure and strokes and is fatal in some cases, officials have said.
According to the lawsuit, Alexion markets a year-long treatment of Soliris for the rare blood disorder for an annual cost of $389,000 per patient. OMRF was issued patents in 1997 for discoveries that were effective in treating PNH and licensed the rights to the patented property to Alexion in 1992.
But when Alexion said it had determined that Soliris did not fall under its license with OMRF and that it did not owe any royalties over the sale of the drug, the foundation sued the company.
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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com
