On June 4, 2019, a federal judge appointed Girard Sharp partner Dena Sharp as interim co-lead counsel in In re: Humira Antitrust Litigation. The case centers on allegations that pharmaceutical companies AbbVie and Amgen engaged in anticompetitive practices with respect to the blockbuster drug Humira.
Humira, which is prescribed for a variety of auto-immune conditions, is the best-selling prescription medication in the world, with global sales of nearly $20 billion in 2018. According to the complaint, because AbbVie’s primary Humira patent was set to expire in December 2016, the company created a “thicket” of over 100 patents to frustrate other companies’ efforts to sell competing versions of Humira. This prevented generic versions of the drug from entering the U.S. market, which would have caused a significant drop in prices.
In addition to Dena Sharp, the Girard Sharp team includes Scott Grzenczyk and Tom Watts. The firm represents Plaintiff Fraternal Order of Police Miami Lodge 20 Insurance Trust Fund and a proposed class of others who paid for or reimbursed purchases of the drug.
