Dutch court blocks Merck's subcutaneous Keytruda in eight European countries

A Dutch court has ordered Merck to halt manufacturing and sales of its subcutaneous cancer immunotherapy Keytruda Qlex in eight European countries, according to Endpoints News. BioPharma Dive reported that the court blocked sales in those countries, while STAT described an order to halt manufacturing and marketing in several European countries.

BioPharma Dive said the court sided with Halozyme in an intellectual property dispute. Halozyme said Merck's drug infringed patents on its technology for delivering large biologic molecules through under-the-skin injections. The Netherlands case is part of Halozyme's broader legal challenge to Merck, BioPharma Dive reported. That outlet said Halozyme had also won a legal proceeding in Germany and was challenging Merck in a U.S. court.