To discuss simeprevir phase III clinical data presented at The International Liver Congress of the European Association for the Study of the Liver

Eli Lilly filed a lawsuit against Johnson and Johnson (J&J, US) in the United Kingdom High Court of Justice to revoke a patent held by the latter that might cause delays in the availability of Lilly's solanezumab. Lilly argues that its investigational drug does not infringe on a patent held by Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy Research and Development (part of J&J). Janssen in turn has stated that its patent is valid and enforceable. Both firms currently have investigational antibodies in development that target beta-amyloid protein in patients' brains that causes plaque, a definitive feature of Alzheimer's disease. Significance: So far, treatment for Alzheimer's involves medications that help mitigate symptoms, but they do not slow down or stop the progression of the debilitating disease, while development of new treatments has been difficult. Janssen and Lilly both recently faced costly setbacks when their own Alzheimer's candidates bapineuzumab and solanezumab failed to meet their primary endpoints of improvement in cognitive or functional performance compared with placebo in Phase III trials. Clinical development for bapineuzumab was consequently discontinued; however, there may still be ongoing trials with subcutaneous bapineuzumab, as well as another beta amyloid vaccine in development. As for solanezumab, Lilly has plans to initiate new trials focusing on patients with mild cognitive impairment, as that cohort represented the best outcomes and slowed disease progression following treatment. The outcome of the court decision is an important factor in giving either Lilly or J&J an extra push to bring their Alzheimer's treatment to market before its competitor. The case is Eli Lilly and company v. Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy, High Court of Justice, Chancery Division, HC11C03400.

Johnson & Johnson has a signed a nine-year lease for its headquarters in Arena Space, a commercial building constructed by Arena Enterprise, on Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road in Andheri. Under the agreement, approximately a 0.1 million sq ft of space has been leased for approximately INR 8.5 million a month.