DURHAM, N.C., Sept. 3 (UPI) -- A North Carolina judge has ruled two Chinese companies carried out industrial espionage by stealing trade secrets about a new cancer drug.
Wake County Superior Judge Donald Stephens awarded Serenex, a Pfizer-owned bio-pharmaceutical company in Durham $57.5 million to be paid by the two Chinese firms and a former Serenex chemist who allegedly passed on company secrets.
The Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer said Wednesday it was unclear if Serenex would be able to collect the damages awarded Tuesday since the Chinese companies failed to respond to the lawsuit.
Serenex filed suit last year against Beijing Gylong Sci and Technology and GYLL Biomedtech after the two companies filed a patent application for an oncology drug Serenex said was similar to its own.
The lawyer for former Serenex employee Yunsheng Huang of Apex denied any wrongdoing by his client.
