On March 19, less than two weeks after Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz) became the first biosimilar product to be approved in the US, a California court sided with its maker, the Sandoz unit of Novartis, based in Basel, to clear away one obstacle to its market launch. The US District Court for the Northern District of California denied Amgen's request for an injunction to delay sales of Zarxio—a biosimilar of Amgen's blockbuster drug Neupogen (filgrastim) used to treat neutropenia. Sandoz, the court ruled, did not violate the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act by its refusal to fully disclose proprietary information to Amgen regarding its application and manufacturing processes, as the law provided for an alternative scenario in case of noncompliance. The court order, however, did not address still-pending claims of infringement made by the Thousand Oaks, California–based Amgen, meaning that if Zarxio entered the market and was later found to infringe, Sandoz would be liable to Amgen for any reimbursements or penalties. Amgen said it would appeal the decision. The two companies previously agreed to seek an expedited review of any appeal at the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The outcome of this case will likely influence other similar disputes, such as the Janssen unit of Johnson & Johnson's suit against Celltrion and Hospira that could delay or block the US launch of Remsima, a biosimilar of Johnson & Johnson's drug Remicade (infliximab) used to treat autoimmune diseases.