Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. paid Biogen Inc. $30 million to settle apatent dispute involving the pharmaceutical firm's recombinanthuman growth hormone, Genotropin.

Biogen filed patent infringement complaints against Pharmacia &Upjohn in Japan in 1994, in the U.S. in 1995 and in Sweden earlierthis year. The dispute centered on Biogen's protein secretiontechnology.

To resolve the litigation, Pharmacia & Upjohn licensed rights toBiogen's patents for $30 million plus an undisclosed percentage ofsales of Genotropin in North America and Japan.

Officials from Biogen and Pharmacia & Upjohn provided few detailsabout the patent dispute.

Pharmacia & Upjohn received FDA approval in August 1995 to sellGenotropin and the drug was expected to be on the market in the U.S.this year. The company sells the growth hormone in numerouscountries outside the U.S. and in 1995 revenues totaled $388 million.Global sales figures for the first half of 1996 were not available.

Pharmacia & Upjohn launched Genotropin in the U.S. without acourt challenge from Genentech Inc., of South San Francisco, basedon a co-development and co-marketing deal signed in 1985.Genentech dominates the U.S. growth hormone market and hasblocked two companies _ Novo Nordisk A/S, of Bagsvaerd,Denmark, and Biotechnology General Corp., of Iselin, N.J. _ fromselling their versions of the drug by pursuing patent infringementclaims in U.S. District Court.

Genentech was not involved in the litigation between Pharmacia &Upjohn and Biogen. _ Charles Craig

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.