Eli Lilly launched US legal proceedings against Novartis’ Sandoz unit, Wockhardt, Impax Laboratories and Cobalt Laboratories to prevent the drugmakers from manufacturing generic versions of its antidepressant Cymbalta (duloxetine).

The Indianapolis-based company alleged that the generic firms have filed documents with the FDA seeking permission to market the drug before the patent expires in June 2013. “We’re going to defend our intellectual property. We expect to prevail,” stated Eli Lilly spokesperson Mark Taylor. Commenting on the news, Impax stated that it does not believe its compound infringes on the Cymbalta patent; the other three companies did not immediately issue responses.

Last year, Eli Lilly recorded $2.1 billion in revenue for Cymbalta, which is approved in the US for the treatment of major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia.

Source: FirstWord

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