Court rules Lovenox patent unenforceable

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a California district court's 2007 ruling against sanofi-aventis (Euronext:SAN; NYSE:SNY) in a suit related to sanofi's anticoagulant Lovenox enoxaparin. The suit, filed by sanofi, alleged that an ANDA for a generic enoxaparin from Amphastar (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Teva (NASDAQ:TEVA) infringed sanofi's U.S. Patent No. RE38,743 covering low-molecular weight heparins. The court deemed the patent, which expires in 2012, to be unenforceable due to inequitable conduct. sanofi said it is considering all its legal options (See BioCentury Extra, Friday, Feb. 09, 2007). ...