Samsung Biologics has recently won the cell line patent invalidation trial filed in China against the Swiss multinational biotech company, Lonza, it was learned.

In January, the company filed a trial for invalidation of cell line-related patents with China's National Intellectual Property Administration, which ruled in favor of Samsung Biologics. A cell line is a population of cells that can be maintained in culture for an extended period and proliferates in large quantities to produce the desired antibody drug.

The recently invalidated patent is related to some proteins that help cell line proliferation. It was Lonza's family patent in China, which Samsung Biologics already invalidated in Korea in 2019. A family patent is a set of patents registered in various countries.

Samsung Biologics argued that Lonza's patent was not worthy of protection as it is a technology that is widely used by others, and the Chinese review board accepted the company's opinion.

As Samsung Biologics succeeded in invalidating Lonza's cell line-related patents in China just as it did in Korea, the company is likely to remove all obstacles for its contract development business of biopharmaceuticals in China.

According to industry watchers, according to the ruling, Samsung Biologics will likely strengthen its CDO business portfolio in China. The patent had been waived in the U.S., withdrawn in Europe, and rejected in Japan, and the latest decision further boosts Samsung BioLogics’ development services ambition.