Glenmark settles patent litigation with Merck

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it had settled a patent litigation with Merck & Co over its cholesterol-lowering generic drug 'Ezetimibe', following which the company can sell the medicine in the US market.

Ezetimibe is a generic version of Merck-Schering Plough's patented drug 'Zetia'.

Glenmark and Merck were fighting a patent litigation in the US court after the Indian firm had filed the Abbreviated New Drug Application (Anda) with first-to-file status that entitled it a potential of 180 days of marketing exclusivity in the US.

"Under the agreement, Glenmark will be able to launch its product on December 12, 2016, or earlier under certain circumstances, ahead of the April 25, 2017 expiration of Merck's patent exclusivity for Zetia," the company said in a statement.

This settlement effectively ends the lawsuit involving a challenge by Glenmark which sought to launch a generic version of Zetia before the April 2017 expiration of the patent exclusivity covering Zetia, it added.

According to industry experts, the development could give Glenmark an opportunity to earn around $200 million (about Rs 700 crore) through the launch the drug in the American market with exclusivity.