Thanakorn Lappattaranan
Liquidia (NASDAQ:LQDA) rose 5% in after hours trading after a win in a patent dispute with United Therapeutics (NASDAQ:UTHR). The ruling likely means that Liquidia can launch Yutrepia soon after FDA approval.
US District Judge Richard G. Andrews granted Liquidia's (LQDA) motion for post-judgement relief, according to a court order on Thursday. United Therapeutics (UTHR) motion for leave to file a two-page sur-reply is dismissed as moot.
Liquidia (LQDA) soared 36% on Dec. 20 after a court victory in its patent dispute with UTHR. The US. appeals court affirmed the U.S. Patent Board's decision, according to the court opinon on Wednesday. The win came after a court hearing on Dec. 4.
United Therapeutics (UTHR) markets its version of treprostinil as Tyvaso, and the FDA granted tentative approval for a generic to Liquidia (LQDA) in 2021, allowing for its potential market entry as Yutrepia for PH-ILD as early as March.
"We believe Liquidia remains ready to launch Yutrepia," BofA analyst Greg Harrison wrote in a March 13 note. "With a strong DPI market opportunity, we currently model $686M peak sales for Yutrepia in PAH and a launch in 2024. We continue to look for an FDA decision towards a full approval in PH-ILD to add the indication to our model."