Halozyme granted injunction blocking Merck Keytruda formulation in Europe

By Connor Hart Halozyme Therapeutics was granted a court order that will prevent Merck from manufacturing and distributing a formulation of its blockbuster cancer treatment in several European markets. The specialized Dutch patent court of the Hague found Merck to be infringing upon one of Halozyme's patents, ordering Merck to refrain from manufacturing and selling Keytruda SC in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands, Halozyme said Wednesday. The ruling came after Halozyme last year was granted a preliminary injunction that stopped the launch of Keytruda SC in Germany. Halozyme has additionally sued Merck for patent infringement in New Jersey federal courts. Merck said it strongly disagrees with the ruling. "We consider Halozyme's patent to be invalid globally and its allegation of infringement to be without merit," a company spokesperson said. "We are evaluating next steps but are confident in our overall legal position and believe that, ultimately, we will prevail in the courts." Halozyme noted that patients who want to use Keytruda will still have access to the IV version of the drug, which is not covered by Halozyme's patent or the court's injunction order. Write to Connor Hart at connor.hart@wsj.com (END) Dow Jones Newswires October 07, 2026 11:31 ET (15:31 GMT) Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. The statements in this document shall not be considered as an objective or independent explanation of the matters. Please note that this document (a) has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research, and (b) is not subject to any prohibition on dealing ahead of the dissemination or publication of investment research.