Novartis AG unit Sandoz asked a U.S. appeals court on Wednesday to lift a preliminary injunction barring it from selling its biosimilar Zarxio, a cheaper version of a drug that fends off infections in cancer patients.

In October, Amgen Inc, maker of the $1.2 billion-a-year drug Neupogen, sued Sandoz in district court in San Francisco, saying Zarxio infringed the patent on Amgen's drug. The court refused to grant a preliminary injunction barring the sale of Zarxio while the lawsuit continued, but in May the injunction was granted by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The hearing on Wednesday was to discuss if the Federal Circuit's order would remain.

Zarxio is a biosimilar, which is essentially a close copy of a brand name biologic medicine. Since biosimilars are copies of biologic products, which are made of living cells, they are not considered exact duplicates. Insurers hope they will cost the public 40 percent to 50 percent less than the original brands.

Zarxio would become the first biosimilar sold in the United States.

For more details, go to: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/03/amgen-novartis-patent-idUSL1N0YO2UK20150603