AbbVie Sues BeiGene Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft in BTK Degrader Program
U.S. pharmaceutical titan AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) has initiated legal proceedings against BeiGene Ltd. (NASDAQ: BGNE; HKG: 6160; SHA: 688235), accusing the Chinese biotech firm of pilfering trade secrets vital to its Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) degrader program. According to court documents filed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and reported by Reuters, AbbVie asserts that BeiGene lured and persuaded former AbbVie researcher Liu Huaqing to defect, subsequently utilizing proprietary information to expedite BeiGene’s BTK degrader initiative. Liu, who is implicated in the lawsuit, had previously contributed to AbbVie’s degrader program for approximately one year before his departure in 2019.
BeiGene Fires Back at AbbVie’s Allegations, Vows to Defend IP Rights
In a recent statement, BeiGene has refuted the allegations, pledging to robustly safeguard its intellectual property against the legal challenge. The company suggests that the lawsuit is an attempt to impede the progress of its BTK degrader, BGB-16673. BeiGene also highlighted that it had filed for patents on BGB-16673 prior to AbbVie’s own patent application for a similar degrader.
BGB-16673: A Promising BTK Degrader in Clinical Trials
BeiGene’s BTK degrader, BGB-16673, is a novel heterobifunctional small molecule designed to bind BTK and an E3 ligase, leading to BTK degradation and potentially overcoming resistance to conventional BTK inhibitors. The drug successfully concluded its first-in-human trial in November 2023 and is currently undergoing Phase I/II trials in both China and the U.S.
AbbVie’s Repeated Legal Offense Against BeiGene
This is the second instance within a year where AbbVie has taken legal action against BeiGene. In June 2023, AbbVie claimed that BeiGene’s BTK inhibitor, Brukinsa (zanubrutinib), infringed upon the patent rights of its own pioneering BTK inhibitor, Imbruvica (ibrutinib). – Flcube.com
