Sandoz Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amgen Over Inflammation Drug, Seeks Damages: Retail Sentiment Falters

Switzerland-based generic drug maker Sandoz said on Monday that it has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amgen, Inc, (AMGN) alleging that the latter is blocking competition to its drug Enbrel by unlawfully purchasing certain patent rights.

Sandoz’s Erelzi is a biosimilar of Amgen’s Enbrel, a medicine used to treat a range of inflammatory diseases.

Sandoz alleged that Amgen blocked competition from more cost-effective biosimilar competitors, including Erelzi, which received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2016, using certain patent rights to entrench its position in the market.

Amgen is continuing to block entry of Erelzi, an important treatment option for approximately 7.5 million Americans living with chronic inflammatory diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Sandoz said.

The company added that many Americans could benefit from the cost savings and expanded access resulting from the introduction of high-quality, more affordable biosimilar options.

Sandoz is seeking an injunction to prevent Amgen from using patent rights to block biosimilar competition and allow Sandoz to launch Erelzi “as soon as possible.” The company is also seeking damages in the lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

In 2024, Enbrel generated $3.3 billion in revenue in the United States, Sandoz noted.

In February, Amgen said it expects continued declining net selling price and relatively flat volumes for Enbrel in 2025.

Shares of Amgen are up by about 0.2% in premarket trading on Monday.

On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around Amgen fell from ‘extremely bullish’ to ‘bullish’ over the past 24 hours while message volume remained at ‘high’ levels.

AMGN stock is up by 10.3% year-to-date and by 7.7% over the past 12 months.

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