Yesterday the British High Court overturned a UK genome patent owned by biotech Human Genome Sciences. The patent covered the inflammation-linked protein neutrokine-alpha which is part of the tumor necrosis factor family of cytokines.

The court overturned the patent, ruling that at the time its application was filed there was no practical application, the Financial Times reported.

Human Genome Sciences applied for the patent in the mid-1990s. But the ruling might really affect Eli Lilly, who has spent $50 million developing an antibody to neutrokine-alpha and is looking to spend another $250 million bringing the therapy through clinical trials, the Times reported.