Daiichi wins court battle against Mylan, Matrix

Japanese drug major Daiichi Sankyo said today a US Court has ruled in its favour in a patent litigation related to the anti-hypertensive drug, Benicar, against Mylan Inc and its Indian subsidiary, Matrix Laboratories.

“...US District Court in New Jersey has issued a decision in our US patent litigation against Mylan, upholding the validity of our patent covering the Benicar, Benicar HCT and Azor products,” Daiichi Sankyo said in a statement. The company had initiated the process of litigation against Mylan and Matrix in response to the Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) filed by Mylan with the US health regulator, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), last year, seeking its nod to market generic versions of those products.

“We had initiated the litigation against Mylan in response to ANDA filed by Mylan seeking to market generic versions of those products before the expiration of our patent, which expires in 2016,” Daiichi Sankyo said.

The Japanese company had filed a litigation alleging violation of its intellectual property right for Olmesartan Medoxomil, an active pharmaceutical ingredient used in the preparation of the drug Benicar, Benicar HCT, and Azor.