Wyeth and Nycomed filed infringement lawsuit against Sandoz in U.S. District Court of Illinois in Chicago. The suit seeks a court order that Sandoz has infringed the Protonix (Pantoprazole) I.V. patent and a permanent injunction barring Sandoz from selling a generic version until the patent expires.
Protonix was previously one of Wyeth's top-selling drugs, racking up $1.9 billion in sales in 2007. But late last year, Teva began selling generic copies of the tablet formulation in the U.S. despite the existence of a patent for Protonix that doesn't expire until 2010. Teva soon halted shipments amid talks with Wyeth to settle patent-infringement litigation, but no settlement was reached.
Wyeth itself began selling an authorized generic Protonix in partnership with Prasco Laboratories, while Caraco Pharma, owned by Sun Pharma, has jumped in with a rival generic, too.
Wyeth has insisted that the Protonix patent is valid and is being infringed. The company plans to seek lost profits and other damages from Teva and Sun. Wyeth expects the case against those companies to go to trial in federal court by mid-2009.
Protonix was previously one of Wyeth's top-selling drugs, racking up $1.9 billion in sales in 2007. But late last year, Teva began selling generic copies of the tablet formulation in the U.S. despite the existence of a patent for Protonix that doesn't expire until 2010. Teva soon halted shipments amid talks with Wyeth to settle patent-infringement litigation, but no settlement was reached.
Wyeth itself began selling an authorized generic Protonix in partnership with Prasco Laboratories, while Caraco Pharma, owned by Sun Pharma, has jumped in with a rival generic, too.
Wyeth has insisted that the Protonix patent is valid and is being infringed. The company plans to seek lost profits and other damages from Teva and Sun. Wyeth expects the case against those companies to go to trial in federal court by mid-2009.
