Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. and its US affiliate filed suit on 15 October 2021 in the District of New Jersey against Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corp., and Celgene International II, SARL. The complaint asserted infringement of US10251867B2, a patent covering ponesimod — the active ingredient in Actelion’s PONVORY — against BMS’s competing ozanimod product marketed as ZEPOSIA, including a 7-Day Starter Pack and a Starter Kit combining the starter pack with a 30-count 0.92 mg bottle. Both molecules are sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulators approved for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, placing them in direct commercial competition.

The case was administratively terminated on 30 October 2024 after the court referred the matter to mediation, ordering the parties to coordinate on mediator selection. Administrative termination in this context is a procedural step — not a final judgment — that keeps the case off the active docket while mediation proceeds. The basis of termination is recorded simply as ‘Case Terminated,’ without specifying settlement, dismissal with prejudice, or any other merits disposition, leaving the ultimate resolution of the infringement claims unresolved on the public record.

A duration of 1,111 days before mediation referral is consistent with complex pharmaceutical patent litigation, where claim construction, expert discovery, and potential invalidity counterclaims typically extend timelines. The court’s decision to refer the parties to mediation rather than proceed to trial suggests either a scheduling or judicial efficiency consideration, or that the parties signaled willingness to negotiate. What drove the final outcome — whether a confidential settlement was reached or the case was later reinstated — is not determinable from the publicly available docket record.