By Michael Calia
Mylan Inc. (MYL) on Thursday called a federal court's ruling on
a patent related to Pfizer Inc.'s (PFE) Celebrex "favorable," and
said it plans to start selling a generic version of the drug in
May.
Pfizer on Wednesday said the U.S. District Court for the Eastern
District of Virginia invalidated a patent that would have extended
its U.S. exclusivity for the painkiller by 18 months. Celebrex
brought in $1.93 billion in U.S. sales for Pfizer last year.
Pfizer said it will pursue all available remedies to fight the
ruling, including an immediate appeal.
Pfizer had brought a patent-infringement case against six
generic drug makers, including Mylan and Teva Pharmaceutical
Industries Ltd. (TEVA).
Mylan on Thursday said it believes it may be entitled to 180
days of shared exclusivity on the generic market for the
100-milligram, 200-milligram and 400-milligram strengths of the
drug.
Mylan, along with Teva and Actavis PLC (ACT), already have
received tentative approval from the Food and Drug Administration
to sell generic versions of Celebrex.
Shares of Mylan were inactive premarket. The stock closed at
$53.06 Wednesday and is up 22% so far this year.
Write to Michael Calia at michael.calia@wsj.com
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