Samyang Biopharm said Wednesday that it has won a patent suit on Palseron (Ingredient: palonosetron hydrochloride) against Helsinn Healthcare, a Switzerland-based multinational pharmaceutical company.

Palseron is a treatment for nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy or post-surgery.

On Dec. 21, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed all plaintiffs' claims for the alleged patent infringement of Alroxi, the original drug, filed by Helsinn and CJ Healthcare in November 2016. CJ Healthcare has been exclusively selling Alroxi in Korea, after signing a contract with Helsinn in 2007.

According to Samyang Biopharm, the company avoided patent infringement by securing the stability of the drug without using antioxidant (EDTA), which is a composition material of Alroxi.

Boryung Pharmaceutical has been selling Palseron since it was launched in May. The launching of Palseron caused (reimbursement) list prices of both the original and generic medication to fall. The price cuts, in turn, reduced individual medical fees while cutting the overall health insurance budget

“We developed a product that is stable without the antioxidant (EDTA) contained in the existing patent by detecting the cause that deteriorates the stability of the drug,” a company official said in a statement.

Alroxi has an annual domestic sale of 25 billion won ($23.4 million).

Copyright © KBR Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution prohibited