UC Expected to Consider Patent Settlement

A reported settlement reached between biotech giant Genentech Inc. and UC San Francisco over the patent for the lucrative human growth hormone Protropin is expected to be considered by the UC Board of Regents on Thursday. Associated Press reported over the weekend that the company and UC had agreed to settle their decade-long dispute in which UC accused South San Francisco-based Genentech of stealing a patented DNA molecule and using it to develop Protropin, its top-selling product. Genentech admitted the molecule had been stolen, but insisted that its scientists had developed the drug on their own. Jurors voted 8-1 in favor of UC’s claim of patent infringement, but were unable to resolve the impasse in six days of deliberations. A retrial was scheduled for January, but settlement talks have been ongoing. UC sought up to $400 million for lost license fees on Protropin, which had reported sales of more than $1.2 billion between 1985 and 1994.