AstraZeneca unit sued over alleged monopoly on blockbuster drug Soliris

April 16 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca's (AZN.L), opens new tab Alexion Pharmaceuticals was sued in Massachusetts federal court on Wednesday for allegedly misusing its patents to extend its monopoly on its blockbuster blood-disease drug Soliris.
Health plan EmblemHealth said in the proposed class action lawsuit, opens new tab that Alexion wrongly obtained new patents to block biosimilar versions of Soliris for four years after its patents on the drug should have expired.
EmblemHealth said the alleged scheme violated U.S. antitrust law and could cause overpayments of more than $2 billion for Soliris.
Spokespeople for AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the complaint.
"We are concerned about practices that shut down competition and increase drug costs. That's what this litigation is about," an EmblemHealth spokesperson said.
EmblemHealth is seeking to represent a class of U.S. Soliris buyers in the lawsuit.
Soliris is used to treat rare blood disorders. AstraZeneca earned more than $1.4 billion from sales of the drug in the first half of 2024, according to a company report.
EmblemHealth said in the lawsuit that AstraZeneca charges "one of the single highest drug costs in U.S. history" for Soliris, which costs "upwards of $500,000 per patient per year."
AstraZeneca's patents covering Soliris should have expired in 2021, but the company misled the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to obtain more patents with expiration dates "well into the future," according to the complaint. The lawsuit said AstraZeneca used the new patents to "extract settlements" from competitors and delay their biosimilars until March 2025 at the earliest.
EmblemHealth asked the court for an order ending AstraZeneca's monopoly on Soliris and an unspecified amount of monetary damages.
The case is EmblemHealth Inc v. Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, No. 1:25-cv-10985.
For EmblemHealth: Thomas Sobol and Gregory Arnold of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro; and Mark Fischer and Rob Griffith of Rawlings & Associates

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Our round-up also reveals what you need to do if your GP denies you a fat jab prescription and advice if you're intending on buying them privately NATIONAL JAB SERVICE Are YOU eligible for free fat jabs on the NHS? As GPs start dishing out Mounjaro – all you need to know THEY are arguably the biggest medical breakthrough of recent times. And from Monday, so-called 'fat jabs' will be made available to many more Brits on the NHS. Advertisement 5 From Monday, GPs will begin prescribing the weight-loss jab Mounjaro in the first anti-obesity rollout of its kind Credit: Getty 5 Health chiefs hope the Mounjaro rollout will turn the tide on England's obesity crisis Credit: Getty In what marks the dawn of a new era, GPs will begin prescribing the weight-loss jab Mounjaro in the first anti-obesity rollout of its kind. More than three million people are thought to be eligible for tirzepatide - the active drug in Mounjaro - the strongest jab on the market. Health chiefs hope it will turn the tide on England's obesity crisis which has seen rates double since the 1990s. Advertisement Injections including Ozempic and Wegovy have previously only been available for type 2 diabetes or through specialist slimming clinics. Family doctors will now be encouraged to prescribe them in a bid to get more people on the meds. Experts hope widespread use will slash work sick days and boost the economy, while reducing rates of cancer, heart disease and dementia. But demand for the drugs is already huge and NHS clinics cannot dish them out fast enough. Here is everything you need to know as the rollout begins: Advertisement What is Mounjaro and what has it been used for so far? 5 Studies found Mounjaro caused 20 per cent weight loss over 18 months Credit: Reuters FOR anyone who has missed the frenzy, Mounjaro, aka tirzepatide, is the newest weight loss injection used on the NHS. 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THE new rollout starting on Monday will allow GPs to prescribe tirzepatide for weight loss, starting with those patients whose weight places them at greatest health risk. Top of the list will be those with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher and four weight-related health conditions. Advertisement A BMI of 40 is roughly equal to weighing 16st (102kg) for an average height 5'3' woman, or 19st 6lbs (123kg) for an average 5'9' man. Weight-related conditions include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnoea and heart disease. Patients will likely be expected to have tried diet and exercise first before being offered a jab. Many are likely to miss out, as some 13.5million adults in England are obese but only 3.4million are estimated to be eligible in the rollout. How will the rollout be run and what is new? 5 Wes Streeting wants a more widespread use of the drugs but patients must also receive check-ups Credit: Getty Advertisement WHAT'S new is that the rollout will be the first run by NHS primary care, led by GP surgeries. In theory this should make life easier for patients – but GPs will not be able to meet the huge demand. NHS bosses have admitted it will take a staggering 12 years to treat everyone who is eligible. Just 220,000 extra people are likely to get Mounjaro by 2028. Private prescriptions, costing about £100-£150 per month, already vastly outnumber that and are rising. Advertisement Health Secretary Wes Streeting wants a faster rollout and more widespread use of the drugs but patients must also receive regular check-ups and lifestyle help. Officials are investigating whether they can dish them out through pharmacies or the NHS app to take a load off GPs. Professor Jason Halford, of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: 'These drugs have the potential to help millions. 'If the government and NHS are serious about prevention they need to reconsider their position on the speed of the rollout of these drugs.' Professor John Deanfield, a heart doctor at University College London, added: 'These drugs provide a real opportunity to delay many diseases of ageing all at the same time and potentially transform society. Advertisement 'I hope it won't take 10 years to do something that is so needed.' What if my GP says no? 5 If you are eligible but your GP denies you a prescription, you may be able to ask for a referral to specialist weight management services Credit: Getty MANY people are expected to miss out and some surgeries are already pouring cold water on patients' hopes. Fairhill Medical Practice in Kingston upon Thames said: 'Once we are able to prescribe weight loss injections they will be offered to those with the highest medical need only, which may mean that a lot of patients will be disappointed.' Millions who meet the prescription criteria will simply have to be denied the drugs because doctors are so busy. Advertisement On top of everything else England's 6,300 doctors' surgeries have to deal with, they do not have the capacity to offer the necessary long-term supervision for millions more people at once. Experts reckon private prescriptions will rocket even more as frustrated patients give up waiting. If you are eligible but your GP denies you a prescription, you may be able to ask for a referral to specialist weight management services. Known as tier 2 and tier 3 weight management services, they may prescribe the jabs after other weight loss attempts. 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Dose strength is partly based on size and pretending you are fatter than you are could mean you end up with a medication too strong for your body, raising the risk of serious side effects. The most common side effects from the injections include feeling sick, vomiting, diarrhoea or other gut troubles. If not treated properly people can suffer more serious impacts like dehydration, gallstones, pancreatitis or allergic reactions – and more than 100 deaths in the UK have so far been linked to the jabs. The General Pharmaceutical Council issued new rules in February to say that all pharmacies must verify a patient's height and weight, and conduct at least a video call – if not face-to-face appointment – before prescribing weight loss injections. 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Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. 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Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. Future of fat jabs WHILE the Mounjaro rollout is expected to kick off with a whimper and not a bang, it is hoped it will mark the beginning of a new era in weight loss medicine. Advertisement Brits have been getting gradually fatter for decades and no medication or government policy has managed to beat the bulge. The drugs appear super-effective, reasonably priced and relatively safe, and could help millions slim down after failed diets. 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