Teva wins Copaxone suit
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in favor of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE:TEVA) in the company's suit seeking to block approval of generic versions of multiple sclerosis (MS) drug Copaxone glatiramer acetate. The court found that Teva's Copaxone patents were valid and infringed by ANDAs submitted by Sandoz International GmbH in 2008 and Mylan Inc. (NASDAQ:MYL) in 2009. Sandoz's generic is partnered with Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:MNTA), while Mylan's is partnered with Natco Pharma Ltd. (BSE:NATCOPHAR). Sandoz is the generics unit of Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN).
Teva said the ruling should prevent FDA from approving generic Copaxone until the Orange Book patents expire on May 24, 2014. The company also believes the defendants will be further enjoined from selling the generics until Teva's process patent expires on Sept. 1, 2015. ...