Biogen hepatitis B patents

Executive Summary

Abbott joins list of firms licensing Biogen's hepatitis B patents. Royalty-bearing license covers manufacture, use and sale of hepatitis B core antigens in diagnostic kits. Biogen estimates that its hepatitis B licensing program, which includes SmithKline licensure for its hepatitis B vaccine, could yield $ 10 mil. a year in product-driven revenues. A separate patent for hepatitis B surface antigen produced from genetically engineered yeast, which covers Merck's Recombivax HB vaccine, was granted Sept. 6 to inventors of the vaccine at the University of California ("The Pink Sheet" Sept. 12, "In Brief").