By Anna Prior
Mylan Inc. (MYL) on Thursday said a court dismissed rival
generic drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.'s (TEVA,
TEVA.TV) motion to block approval of generic versions of
multiple-sclerosis drug Copaxone.
Teva had sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Mylan
intervened in the suit in support of the agency, Mylan said, adding
that the ruling by a District of Columbia federal court also
dismissed the case for lack of jurisdiction.
"Following the court's decision against Teva, we continue to see
no barrier to FDA approval of Mylan's generic Copaxone following
patent expiry," Mylan Chief Executive Heather Bresch said.
A Teva spokeswoman said the company will continue to evaluate
its options, but noted that it was pleased the judge requested
24-hour notification of final action from the FDA as to the
abbreviated new drug applications
Mylan has been pushing to sell generic versions of Copaxone, and
Teva has been fighting the company and other generic drug makers
for years.
Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a
specialized tribunal that hears patent appeals, threw out Teva's
patent, clearing a major hurdle for generic manufacturers to begin
producing the drug.
U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts last month refused to block a
lower-court ruling that invalidated Teva's patent for Copaxone.
Although best known for its own generic products, Teva, based in
Petah Tikva, Israel, has several branded medicines as well.
Copaxone is one of the company's most important products,
accounting for $4.3 billion of the company's $20.3 billion in total
revenue last year.
Write to Anna Prior at anna.prior@wsj.com
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