Forest Laboratories Announces Federal Appeals Court Upholds Lexapro Patent Decision
NEW YORK, Sept. 5 -- Forest Laboratories and H. Lundbeck A/S of Denmark said today that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a July 13, 2006 decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware which determined that the U.S. patent covering escitalopram, the active ingredient in Lexapro(R), is valid and upheld the injunction preventing Ivax/Teva's proposed generic product launch, thereby confirming Forest's and Lundbeck's patent rights for Lexapro(R), which expire in March 2012.
The patent at issue in the U.S. lawsuit is Lexapro's patent (U.S. Patent No. Re 34,712), which is set to expire in March 2012 and covers substantially pure escitalopram.
About Forest Laboratories and Its Products
Forest Laboratories (www.frx.com [1]) is a US-based pharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, developing and delivering products that make a positive difference in peoples' lives. Forest Laboratories' growing product line includes Lexapro(R) (escitalopram oxalate), an SSRI indicated for adults for the initial and maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder; Namenda(R) (memantine HCl), an N-methyl D- aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease; Benicar(R)* (olmesartan medoxomil), an angiotensin receptor blocker, and Benicar* HCT(R) (olmesartan medoxomil- hydrochlorothiazide), an angiotensin receptor blocker and diuretic combination product, each indicated for the treatment of hypertension; and Campral(R)* (acamprosate calcium), indicated in combination with psychosocial support for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation.
*Benicar is a registered trademark of Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., and Campral is a registered trademark of Merck Sante s.a.s., subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Except for the historical information contained herein, this release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the difficulty of predicting FDA approvals, the acceptance and demand for new pharmaceutical products, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the timely development and launch of new products, and the risk factors listed from time to time in the Forest Laboratories' SEC reports, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2007 and quarterly report on form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2007
Links:
[1] http://www.frx.com/