Natco Pharma slips 6% as Delhi HC allows injunction application by FMC Corp

The Hon'ble High Court of Delhi today orally pronounced judgment in the interim injunction application filed by FMC Corporation on CTPR

Shares of Natco Pharma slipped 6 per cent to Rs 1,092.35 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Wednesday after the Delhi High Court allowed the application by FMC Corporation on Chlorantraniliprole (CTPR).

The generic drug maker was engaged in a legal battle with California-based agriculture sciences company FMC over the use of an insecticide CTPR that is used in several crops.

“The Hon'ble High Court of Delhi has today orally pronounced judgment in the interim injunction application filed by FMC Corporation on CTPR. The Hon'ble Court said that it has allowed the application of FMC Corporation,” Natco Pharma said in an exchange filing.

The full copy of the judgment is yet to become available. Natco will review all its options after the full judgment becomes available to it, the company said.

In February 2021, Natco Pharma had received registration approval from Central Insecticide Board & Registration Committee for Chlorantraniliprole, an active ingredient used in pest management products. Natco would be the first indigenous manufacturer of this technical product, the company had said.

CTPR is an active ingredient used in products commercialised by FMC under their brands Coragen and Ferterra. The sales generated from CTPR containing products in India, inclusive of third-party marketing companies, as per the declaration given by FMC was estimated to be Rs 1,540 crore in 2016. Natco believes the current market size to be over Rs 2,000 crore. It had filed a suit against FMC for a declaration of freedom to use CTPR.

Following Natco's action, FMC had counter-sued the Hyderabad-based company in Delhi High Court claiming patent infringement.

At 02:33 pm, the stock was trading 5.7 per cent lower at Rs 1,098 on the BSE, as compared to a 0.17 per cent rise in the S&P BSE Sensex. The trading volumes on the counter jumped nearly three-fold, with a combined 1.23 million shares having changed hands on the NSE and BSE so far.