Swiss drugmaker Novartis is suing Australia’s biggest cancer care provider, GenesisCare, for alleged patent infringement in a Federal Court case that escalates a dispute between pharmaceutical giants and Australian doctors copying their life-extending radiation therapies.

The legal case follows a controversial decision by the Albanese government to partly reimburse patients being treated with cheaper compounded versions of Novartis’ product, which uses radioactive isotopes to attack cancer cells in prostate cancer patients.