Novartis Sues Eli Lilly for Infringing $1 Billion Drug Patent

In an effort to protect the patent rights for radiation ligand therapy, Novartis has filed a lawsuit against Eli Lilly and its partner Lantheus, alleging infringement of the patent rights for the prostate cancer drug Pluvicto.

As Novartis expands into radiopharmaceuticals, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant has stepped up its legal offensive against rivals. In a series of lawsuits filed during the year, Novartis accused several competitors of infringing patents for its radiation ligand therapies, Pluvicto and Lutathera.

The lawsuits involve Eli Lilly, its recently acquired Point Biopharma and its partner Lantheus, as well as Curium Pharma in Europe.

Novartis is working to increase Pluvicto's market share in prostate cancer treatment and Lutathera's market share in neuroendocrine tumor treatment. Pluvicto achieved sales of $1.04 billion in the first three quarters of 2024, successfully surpassing major sales milestones. Lutathera's sales continued to grow at a double-digit rate, which could be attributed to increased adoption of its first-line applications.

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Novartis, in conjunction with Purdue Research Foundation, alleges that Point's PNT2002 infringes U.S. Patent No. 10,624,970. The patent, which relates to PSMA binding couplings and related pharmaceutical preparations and methods for the treatment of prostate cancer, was granted to Purdue in 2020 and subsequently to Endocyte, a subsidiary of Novartis.

Both PNT2002 and Pluvicto target PSMA positive prostate cancer and will compete directly with each other. PNT2002 is a key asset in Lilly's $1.4 billion acquisition of Point last year and part of a potentially $2 billion strategic partnership between Point and Lantheus two years ago.