Halozyme wins court order to block Merck's injected Keytruda in select European markets
HALO•A Dutch patent court ordered Merck to halt production and sales of injectable Keytruda in eight European markets after finding infringement of a Halozyme patent covering under-the-skin drug delivery.
1. Dutch court ruling
The court in The Hague ordered Merck to stop producing and selling injectable Keytruda in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Halozyme said the court found Merck infringed its patent covering MDASE, its technology for rapid, high-volume under-the-skin drug delivery.
2. Other patent cases
Merck has been counting on Keytruda SC to help drive growth as key patents on the original intravenous version expire later in the decade. Halozyme has also sued Merck in the United States, alleging the under-the-skin formulation infringes 15 patents filed since 2011. In Germany, Halozyme obtained a preliminary injunction last year that stopped Merck's launch of Keytruda SC.
