March 18 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP's cancer treatment Imfinzi violates patents related to Bristol-Myers Squibb Co's blockbuster cancer drug Opdivo, Bristol-Myers said in a lawsuit made public on Friday in Delaware federal court.
The lawsuit https://tmsnrt.rs/3ieYLvz said that the use of Imfinzi to treat lung and bladder cancer infringes several Opdivo patents.
Representatives for United Kingdom-based AstraZeneca did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit. A representative for Bristol-Myers declined to comment.
New York-based Bristol-Myers earned over $7.5 billion from worldwide sales of Opdivo last year, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. AstraZeneca's Imfinzi earned the company over $2.4 billion last year, according to a company report.
Bristol-Myers' lawsuit asked the Delaware court for an undisclosed amount of monetary damages.
Bristol-Myers' immunotherapy patents relate to a monoclonal antibody used to destroy cancer cells. Its Opdivo drug is used to treat several types of cancer, including lung cancer, bladder cancer, melanoma and Hodgkin lymphoma.
A Bristol-Myers subsidiary previously won $1.2 billion from a Gilead Sciences unit whose lymphoma immunotherapy drug, Yescarta, was found to infringe one of its patents. A U.S. appeals court threw out that award last year.
Astrazeneca (AZN)
Bristolmyers Squibb Co (BMY.US)
Gilead Sciences (GILD.US)
