The patent is stated not to expire until 2010 and this will put a 30 hold at the FDA to grant approval. This one should prove interesting to 
follow and see where the infringement occurs. BD
LONDON -(Dow Jones)- Sanofi-Aventis SA (SNY) has launched a legal action against Canadian generic drugmaker Apotex Inc., which is planning to sell a low-cost version of cancer drug Taxotere in the U.S., a spokesman for the French pharmaceutical company said Tuesday. In a lawsuit filed Aug. 8, Sanofi-Aventis claimed that Apotex has infringed two U.S. patents of the drug, which in 2007 reported sales of EUR1.87 billion and is Sanofi-Aventis' fourth best-selling product.
Taxotere is used to treat breast, lung and prostate cancer.
I'm not sure what Apotex is thinking here. Why wouldn't Sanofi move to protect multi-billion dollar intellectual property? Patent continues for another two years, so what's the deal?
ReplyDeleteI really love the stories where the drug maker successfully prevents generics even after the patent runs out. These are nasty little deals where the generic company agrees to stay out of the market for x number of months in exchange for a cash payout from the brand manufacturer. In the end, the patient loses because of higher deductibles, copays, etc. on the brand drug.
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