Panacea Biotec, Sanofi Settle Patent Dispute Over Hexavalent Vaccine

Panacea Biotec Ltd. announced on Monday that it has reached a settlement with Sanofi Healthcare India Pvt. over a patent infringement dispute related to a fully-liquid hexavalent vaccine. Both companies filed a joint application with the Delhi High Court, leading to the resolution of the case on Sept. 13, 2024, according to an exchange filing.

The dispute involved Panacea Biotec’s patented vaccine, EasySix, the first fully liquid hexavalent vaccine. As part of the settlement, Sanofi will not commercially launch its competing vaccine, Shan6, in India.

Additionally, Sanofi has agreed to withdraw its patent oppositions against Panacea Biotec’s hexavalent vaccine, including both the post-grant opposition and an amendment challenge, and will file the necessary applications with the Indian Patent Office.

In return, Panacea Biotec will drop its claims for damages and financial compensation in the case. The settlement will have no financial impact on Panacea Biotec’s position.

Panacea Biotec initially filed the lawsuit in May 2021, seeking to stop Sanofi from marketing its Shan6 vaccine, which it believed infringed on Panacea’s patent for its wP-IPV-based EasySix vaccine. The legal action followed Sanofi’s receipt of marketing approval for Shan6 from the Drugs Controller General of India.

Shares of Panacea Biotec closed 4.57% higher at Rs 332.95 per share while shares of Sanofi closed 0.98% higher at Rs 7,225.95 apiece. That comapred with 0.12% gains in the country's benchmark BSE Sensex.