Eli Lilly Filed Para IV Lawsuit Against Wockhardt

Wockhardt is lately been sued by Eli Lilly & Co. for alleged infringement of OB listed patent for antidepressant drug Cymbalta, generically Duloxetine. The lawsuit is result of Wockhardt’s submission of an Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) with the US Food and Drug Administration seeking marketing approval for generic Cymbalta tablets before the expiration of the patent. Lilly also sued Sandoz Inc., Impax Laboratories Inc. and Cobalt Laboratories Inc. in separate lawsuits for seeking generic approval for Cymbalta tablets. Cymbalta is Lilly’s blockbuster drug which exceeded USD 2 billion global sales last year.

In separate development, Orion Corporation has filed a patent lawsuit (in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey) against Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited for alleged infringement of OB listed US Patent No. 5,446,194 (the ‘194 patent) for Stalevo, a combination drug (carbidopa, levodopa and entacapone) for the treatment of Parkinson disease. The lawsuit is result of Sun’s submission of an ANDA seeking marketing approval for generic Stalevo tablets before the expiration of the ‘194 patent. In November 2008, Orion also sued Wockhardt for alleged patent infringement for Stalevo OB listed patents.