Alexion in licence deal for Soliris, ending dispute with PDL
This article was originally published in Scrip
Executive Summary
The US biotech company Alexion Pharmaceuticals has confirmed that its haemoglobinuria therapy Soliris (eculizumab) used technology covered under PDL BioPharma's patents known as Queen et al, and it has agreed to enter into a $25 million licensing deal to resolve an ongoing patent dispute. PDL claims on its website that it pioneered the humanisation of monoclonal antibodies, and that its primary assets are its patents; numerous firms have licensed certain rights under the Queen et al patents.