Pfizer Sues Alkem to Block Copies of Inlyta Kidney-Cancer Drug

A copy of Pfizer Inc.‘s kidney-cancer chemotherapy treatment Inlyta proposed by Alkem Laboratories Ltd. infringes a patent for the drug, the pharmaceutical giant said in a new federal lawsuit.

The complaint, filed May 29 in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, alleges that Alkem’s generic 1- and 5-milligram tablets of axitinib, Inlyta’s active ingredient, infringe US Patent No. 8,791,140, which covers specific crystalline forms of axitinib. Pfizer seeks orders blocking copies “or any product or compound” whose manufacture, use, or sale infringes the patent until its expiration.

• The patent expires in June 2031, according ...