Sandoz Faces Another Suit Over Generic Desloratadine

Sepracor and the University of Massachusetts have filed suit against Sandoz Inc., claiming the generic-drug maker’s proposed version of allergy treatment Clarinex infringes two of their patents. The patent in complaint are
US7214683- which covers descarboethoxyloratadine (DCL), a metabolic derivative of Loratadine, for the treatment of allergic rhinitis, and other disorders, while avoiding the concomitant liability of adverse side-effects associated with other non-sedating antihistamines.
US7214684- which covers A method of treating allergic rhinitis in a human comprising orally administering to a human a therapeutically effective amount of descarboethoxyloratadine, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the amount of the descarboethoxyloratadine administered is 0.1 mg to 5 mg per day.
Sepracor has earlier initiated infringement action against various generic players (for filing para IV against Orange Book listed patents for Clarinex Tablets 5 mg) like Zydus, Sandoz, Mylan, Orchid/Orgenus, Perrigo, Glenmark, GeoPharma/Belcher, Lupin, Ranbaxy, Sun, Watson, Dr. Reddy's
Desloratadine is a drug used to treat allergies. It is marketed under several trade names such as NeoClarityn, Claramax, Clarinex and Aerius. It is an active metabolite of loratadine, which is also on the market.