2 Drugmakers Ordered to Pay 21 B. Yen for Toray Patent Breach

   Tokyo, May 28 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Intellectual Property High Court has ordered two drugmakers to pay a total of 21.7 billion yen in compensation for a patent infringement involving Toray Industries Inc.'s anti-itch medication.
   According to Toray and others, the court Tuesday ordered Sawai Pharmaceutical Co. and Fuso Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. to pay 14.29 billion yen and 7.47 billion yen, respectively.
   "We're delighted that our claims have been approved" by the court, Toray said, hailing the latest decision as "a key ruling in a pharmaceutical patent lawsuit."
   The parent company of Sawai said that the ruling was "unacceptable," while Fuso said that it "will thoroughly examine the contents of this ruling and appeal to the Supreme Court."
   Toray applied to the Patent Office for an extension of its patent to use active ingredient nalfurafine as an itch-alleviating treatment in 2017, when the patent was to expire. Sawai and Fuso in 2018 started manufacturing and selling their own generic drugs by mixing additives with nalfurafine.

(2025/05/28-09:54)