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Legal Proceedings | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2018
Legal Proceedings [Abstract] |
Legal Proceedings | 9. Legal Proceedings From time to time, we are involved in legal proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business. Periodically, we evaluate the status of each legal matter and assess our potential financial exposure. If the potential loss from any legal proceeding is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we accrue a liability for the estimated loss. Significant judgment is required to determine the probability of a loss and whether the amount of the loss is reasonably estimable. The outcome of any proceeding is not determinable in advance. As a result, the assessment of a potential liability and the amount of accruals recorded are based only on the information available to us at the time. As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to the legal proceeding, and may revise our estimates. Gilead Litigation In August 2013, Gilead Sciences Inc. filed a suit in the U.S. District Court of Northern District of California related to U.S. Patent Nos. 7,105,499 and 8,481,712, which are jointly owned by Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. In the suit Gilead asked the court to determine that Gilead’s activities do not infringe any valid claim of the named patents and that the patents are not valid. We and Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. filed our answer denying Gilead’s noninfringement and invalidity contentions, contending that Gilead’s commercial sale and offer for sale of sofosbuvir prior to the expiration of the ‘499 and ‘712 patents infringes those patents, and requesting monetary damages to compensate for such infringement. In the trial for this case held in March 2016, the jury upheld all ten of the asserted claims of the patents-in-suit. The jury then decided that we and Merck are entitled to four percent of $5 billion in past sales of sofosbuvir. Gilead has stated it would appeal the jury’s finding of validity. In the meantime, Gilead asserted two additional non-jury defenses: waiver and unclean hands. Although the judge rejected the waiver defense, she granted Gilead’s motion claiming that the patents are unenforceable against it under the doctrine of unclean hands. We believe this ruling is contrary to the relevant law and the facts of the case. Accordingly, in July 2016, together with Merck we appealed the decision to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Gilead cross-appealed on the issue of validity. In April 2018, the Court of Appeals issued its ruling affirming the District Court’s finding of unenforceability based on unclean hands. Having upheld the ruling that the patents are unenforceable against Gilead, the court did not reach the question of validity. In September 2018, we filed a petition requesting a hearing before the Supreme Court, asserting that it was improper for the trial court to overturn the jury verdict on the basis of the equitable defense of unclean hands. In January 2019, the Supreme Court denied our petition. Under our agreement with Merck, Merck is responsible for the costs of this suit.

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- Definition The entire disclosure for legal proceedings, legal contingencies, litigation, regulatory and environmental matters and other contingencies. + References Reference 1: http://fasb.org/us-gaap/role/ref/legacyRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 450 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2127136 + Details
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