Rehearing Sought in Amgen Case: Genetics Institute...

Rehearing Sought in Amgen Case: Genetics Institute Inc., which last week lost a legal dispute that upheld Amgen Inc.’s patent on a valuable biotechnology drug, said it plans to ask a U.S. appeals court to reconsider its decision. Genetics Institute, based in Cambridge, Mass., said the court’s invalidation of its patent claims for the anti-anemia drug, erythropoietin, or EPO, is “not supported by the evidence.” The decision secured Thousand Oaks-based Amgen’s monopoly on the EPO market. Genetics Institute also said it expects to post a loss of about $23.5 million for its first quarter, partly because of an $11-million charge related to the patent case.