April 28 (Reuters) – Pfizer said on Tuesday it has settled patent disputes with three generic drugmakers over its blockbuster heart drug Vyndamax, effectively extending its patent protection until 2031 and delaying cheaper copies from entering the market.
The deals resolve patent infringement lawsuits against Dexcel Pharma, Hikma Pharmaceuticals and Cipla in Delaware federal court over Pfizer’s oral drug Vyndamax. A trial over the patent had started this week.
Pfizer sold nearly $6.4 billion of Vyndamax and related drugs, which treat a serious heart condition called transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM), in 2025.
The settlements extend U.S. patent protection for Vyndamax until June 1, 2031, subject to other pending litigation.
The company had previously expected a sharp drop in U.S. revenue for the drug in 2029, but now expects sales to hold relatively steady from 2028 through mid-2031.
JP Morgan analyst Chris Schott said in a research note that in light of the drugmaker’s other impending patent expirations, which include some of its other top selling drugs like blood thinner Eliquis and cancer drug Ibrance, the settlement “should smooth out the company’s late-2020s earnings profile and give Pfizer additional time for pipeline development.”
Shares of Pfizer were up slightly in late morning trading.
(Reporting by Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru and MIchael Erman in New Jersey; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
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