05:11 PM EDT, 08/14/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Puma Biotechnology ( PBYI ) shares were slightly lower in after-hours activity Wednesday after a federal judge in Delaware ruled two patents Puma licenses from Pfizer's ( PFE ) unit to manufacture its breast cancer drug Nerlynx were invalid.

Puma and Pfizer's ( PFE ) Wyeth subsidiary sued AstraZeneca ( AZN ) in September 2021 alleging the defendant infringed on two Wyeth patents with its non-small cell lung cancer drug Tagrisso. Puma, which licenses the patents from Wyeth to make Nerlynx, was separated in March as a plaintiff in the case but was allowed to continue seeking damages if Wyeth could prove infringement with its suit.

In Wednesday's decision, US District Court Judge Matthew Kennelly rejected Wyeth's patent infringement claims, citing "a lack of enablement" and "a lack of written description" of the claimed invention. Kennelly, however, declined to side with AstraZeneca's ( AZN ) counterclaim also seeking damages, according to a Wednesday court filing.

Puma, Pfizer ( PFE ) and AstraZeneca ( AZN ) did not immediately respond to requests for comment by MT Newswires.

Puma's Nerlynx generated $84.6 million in sales during the first six months of 2024, down from $98.3 million a year earlier, while AstraZeneca ( AZN ) received about $3.20 billion from Tagrisso sales over the same period, the companies said in their respective latest earnings results.

Price: 2.7000, Change: -0.01, Percent Change: -0.55