REMS Daily Archives
Tevaâs Cephalon Wins Appeal Against Watson Over Fentora Copy
Dec 12, 2011Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.’s Cephalon unit won an appeals court decision that prevents Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. from selling a generic copy of the painkiller Fentora until 2019.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington today upheld the validity of a Cephalon patent on Fentora and backed a lower court ruling that Watson infringed the patent. The appeals court posted a notice of the decision on its website without a formal opinion explaining its findings.
Fentora is approved to relieve sudden episodes of cancer pain in adults already taking opioids, or morphine-like drugs. Cephalon has said the patent that was upheld expires in 2019 and is for a process of making the tablet dissolve.
The drug generated $81 million in U.S. sales in the first half, Cephalon said in August. Petah Tikva, Israel-based Teva bought Cephalon in October.
The case is Cephalon Inc. v. Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc., 09cv724, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware (Wilmington).
