Guardant accuses Illumina of ‘brazen’ attempt to quash competition in ongoing legal battle
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Two months after being sued by Illumina over the alleged theft of trade secrets, Bay Area biotech Guardant Health fired back this week, rejecting the DNA sequencing giant’s claims and asking
a federal judge to dismiss the suit.
In a motion filed Wednesday with the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Guardant’s lawyers argued that claims that its core patents are based on stolen trade secrets were too
vague to prove that Illumina should have ownership over Guardant patents. And they reiterated their view that the timing of Illumina’s lawsuit, just months after its $8 billion acquisition
of early cancer detection company Grail, showed the sequencing company is trying to snuff out rivals in a fast-growing market.
“This action is a brazen attempt by Illumina to put its chief rival out of business and stifle competition in the market for life-saving cancer technologies,” wrote Guardant’s lawyers.
“Illumina’s anti-competitive tactics are an abuse of the court system. Its claims against Guardant should be dismissed as a matter of law.”