Enanta Pharmaceuticals to Appeal Ruling Related to ‘953 Patent Infringement Lawsuit

WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTA), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to creating small molecule drugs for virology and immunology indications, today announced that the United States District Court of Massachusetts (“the Court”) has issued a ruling on a summary judgment motion filed by Pfizer, Inc. in connection with Enanta’s patent infringement lawsuit seeking damages for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 11,358,953 (“the ’953 Patent”) in the manufacture, use and sale of Pfizer’s COVID-19 antiviral, Paxlovid™ (nirmatrelvir tablets; ritonavir tablets).

The Court issued a summary judgment decision granting Pfizer’s motion that the ‘953 Patent is invalid. In its decision, the Court also denied Enanta’s partial motion for summary judgment of infringement as moot in light of its allowance of summary judgment on invalidity. Enanta plans to appeal the decision to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

"The U.S. patent system and its protection of important innovations have enabled the robust development of new medicines and spurred growth in the biotechnology industry. We are proud of the impact our strong history of drug discovery work with protease inhibitors has had on antiviral treatments and the thousands of patients that have been treated with therapies using our patented inventions,” said Jay R. Luly, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “We are disappointed with the Court’s ruling. We believe strongly in the merits of our case, and, through the appeal process, we will continue to defend our inventions from unlawful infringement.”

Enanta maintains its commitment to avoid attempting to impede the production, sale or distribution of Paxlovid.

About Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Enanta is using its robust, chemistry-driven approach and drug discovery capabilities to become a leader in the discovery and development of small molecule drugs with an emphasis on indications in virology and immunology. Enanta’s clinical programs are currently focused on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and its earlier-stage immunology pipeline aims to develop treatments for inflammatory diseases by targeting key drivers of the type 2 immune response, including KIT and STAT6 inhibition.

Glecaprevir, a protease inhibitor discovered by Enanta, is part of one of the leading treatment regimens for curing chronic hepatitis c virus (HCV) infection and is sold by AbbVie in numerous countries under the tradenames MAVYRET® (U.S.) and MAVIRET® (ex-U.S.) (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir). A portion of Enanta’s royalties from HCV products developed under its collaboration with AbbVie contribute ongoing funding to Enanta’s operations. Please visit www.enanta.com for more information.

Contacts

Media and Investors: Jennifer Viera 617-744-3848 [email protected]