July 29 (Reuters) - Sanofi-owned biotech

company Genzyme has sued rival Sarepta Therapeutics ( SRPT ) in

Delaware federal court for allegedly infringing two patents

related to Sarepta's Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) treatment

Elevidys.

Genzyme said in the lawsuit, made public on Monday, that

Sarepta mimics Genzyme's technology for modifying viruses used

to deliver genes into human cells in gene-therapy treatments

like Elevidys.

A spokesperson for Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Sarepta

declined to comment on the lawsuit. A Sanofi spokesperson

reiterated the allegations in the complaint.

DMD is a severe degenerative genetic disorder that primarily

affects boys. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved

Sarepta's Elevidys, the first gene therapy for DMD, last year

and allowed the expanded use of the drug in June.

Sarepta earned more than $200 million from sales of Elevidys

last year.

Genzyme's lawsuit, filed on Friday, said that its scientists

invented a "highly technical, multi-phase process" for

manufacturing gene therapies that Sarepta mimics to make

Elevidys. It asked the court for an unspecified amount of

damages for Sarepta's alleged patent infringement.

Sarepta won the dismissal of a separate patent lawsuit over

Elevidys from biotech company Regenxbio earlier this year.

The case is Genzyme Corp v. Sarepta Therapeutics Inc ( SRPT ), U.S.

District Court for the District of Delaware, No. 1:24-cv-00882.

For Genzyme: Katherine Helm, Noah Leibowitz, Martin Black,

Sharon Gagliardi, Jonathan Loeb and Amanda Antons of Dechert

For Sarepta: Not yet available

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington)