Merck patents on Hepatitis C treatment found valid in dispute with Gilead
NEW YORK, March 22 (Reuters) - A federal jury on Tuesday upheld the validity of two Merck & Co patents in a high-profile dispute with rival Gilead Sciences Inc, which could be forced to hand over a portion of the billions of dollars in revenue from its blockbuster cure for hepatitis C.
The verdict in federal court in San Jose, California, is a major setback for Gilead, whose drugs Sovaldi and Harvoni brought in $19.2 billion in worldwide sales last year. Merck has demanded more than $2 billion in damages and a royalty of 10 percent of Gilead's sales going forward. The jury must now decide exactly how much Gilead owes. (Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)