Nycomed seeks damages from Sun Pharmaceuticals, Teva

Swiss Pharma major Nycomed today said it would seek damages from Indian pharma major Sun Pharmaceuticals and Israel-based Teva in the US for patent infringement.

"We have got a favourable judgement in a lawsuit against Sun and Teva in the US over the patent infringement of Pantoprazole. Now our lawsuit for seeking damages is going on in a US court," Nycomed Chief Executive Officer Hakan Bjorklund said on the sidelines of the commissioning of Zydus Nycomed API manufacturing facility at Navi Mumbai.

"The judgement is expected after 12-months," he added.

As part of the company's strategy to shift its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) production entirely to India, company has closed down its facilities in Germany, he said.

In a 50:50 JV with India's Zydus Cadila, the company will manufacture 11 APIs including Pantoprazole from its Navi Mumbai facility, Bjorklund said.

Initially, the JV will start producing three APIs by this year-end and will add another 8 by 2011 to take the total number to 11, he said.

Zydus Cadila is looking at Japan as a potential market and will launch its product in Japan in November next year, Zydus Cadila's Chairman and Managing Director Pankaj R Patel said, adding that company was exploring inorganic growth opportunities in Japan as well.

Zydus Cadila expects annual sales to cross $1 billion this fiscal, company Chief Operating Officer Ganesh Nayak said.

Cadila has 30 US-FDA approvals as of now and 20 more filings have been done, Nayak said, adding that the firm expects to get 50 new US-FDA approvals in the next three years.