Amgen Inc. has agreed to pay Massachusetts General Hospital $186 million to settle a royalty dispute over Enbrel, a lucrative drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and related conditions, the Boston Globe reported in its Tuesday edition.

The payment eliminates future North American royalties on the drug, which reduces symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. The hospital will continue to earn royalties on sales outside North America, said Mass. General president Peter Slavin.

Enbrel has been one of Amgen’s most successful drugs. Last year, sales topped $2.5 billion, up from $362 million three years earlier. Its creation stems from research at Mass. General led by one of its star scientists, Harvard University researcher Brian Seed. The prominent teaching hospital, which is affiliated with Harvard Medical School, signed the licensing agreement with Immunex Corp., the Seattle-based company that developed Enbrel in the 1990s. Amgen later acquired Immunex and began reviewing its inherited licensing contracts.

Amgen spokesman David Polk told the Associated Press that his company was “pleased to reach an amicable resolution to this issue.”

& #8226;


Read the full story

.