UCB has secured an important win for the protection of its anti-epileptic Vimpat in the US this week after the Delaware District Court confirmed the validity of a key patent for the drug.
Anna Richo, executive vice president and general counsel at UCB said the firm is pleased with the decision, which “confirms the strength of our intellectual property for Vimpat [lacosamide].”
The decision basically secures Vimpat’s intellectual property until 2022, and therefore increases the likelihood of the drug hitting its peak sales target of at least 1.2 billion euros by 2020. The drug pulled in revenues of 379 million euros in the first six months of 2016.
The news pushed the company’s share price up nearly 10 percent to 75.2 euros, reaching a high not seen since 2009.
The decision is currently under seal and will be released following an order from the court, UCB noted.
