In a challenge to Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), a federal court ruled that a patent on a key drug — the big-selling Zytiga prostate cancer treatment — is invalid, triggering the likely arrival of lower-cost generic competition, possibly in a matter of days.
The Friday decision had largely been expected by Wall Street analysts, who noted that a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office review board earlier this year had invalidated the same patent after determining it was not sufficiently inventive. The patent, which is due to expire in 2027, covered a method for administering the drug.
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