[Market Focus] SK Bioscience Jumps Over 9% After Winning Patent Lawsuit

SK Bioscience is showing strong gains in early trading on May 21. This comes after the company secured a final victory in a Supreme Court ruling regarding a patent infringement lawsuit filed by global pharmaceutical company Pfizer.

As of 9:14 a.m. on this day, SK Bioscience is trading at 44,500 won, up 3,900 won (9.59%) from the previous trading day.

In 2020, Pfizer filed a lawsuit claiming that the PCV13 individual conjugate bulk substance and investigational finished pharmaceutical products supplied by SK Bioscience to Russia infringed on the composition patent of 'Prevnar 13.' The Supreme Court determined that each individual conjugate comprising PCV13 does not fall within the scope of the patent claims, and upheld the previous ruling against the plaintiff, Pfizer, confirming their loss in the case.

In 2016, SK Bioscience succeeded in developing the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine 'Skyneumo.' However, after losing a patent dispute with Pfizer, the company was prohibited from producing and selling the vaccine domestically until 2027, when all related patents are set to expire.

SK Bioscience stated that this ruling is significant because, although the sale of finished PCV13 products remains prohibited, it has opened the path for exporting the individual conjugates that make up PCV13.