Alembic Copies of Bayer’s Vitrakvi Cancer Drug Draw Patent Suits

Bayer AG, Pfizer Inc., and Eli Lilly & Co. led a pair of lawsuits alleging Alembic Pharmaceutics and its US unit infringe a total of seven patents in copying Bayer’s Vitrakvi cancer treatment.

Alembic’s proposed generic 25- and 100-milligram capsules of larotrectinib—Vitrakvi’s active ingredient—infringe patents covering the drug’s crystalline forms and treatment methods. They also breach protected technology used to manage interactions with other medicines, according to complaints filed Wednesday in the US District Court for the District of Delaware.

The patents in a lawsuit by Bow River LLC’—US Patent Nos. 11,337,967 and 11,974,998—involve methods for ...