Eli Lilly & Co., the world’s biggest maker of psychiatric drugs, persuaded a judge to temporarily block generic versions of its attention-deficit treatment Strattera while the company considers an appeal of an earlier patent ruling.
U.S. District Judge Dennis M. Cavanaugh issued the order yesterday, giving Lilly time to weigh its options following his Aug. 12 ruling that invalidated a patent on the medicine. The order ends 14 days after the judge signs a final judgment in that case, unless the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington decides it should last through the appeal.
The invalidation of Lilly’s Strattera patent opened the door for generic copies by as many as 10 companies, including Mylan Inc., Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and Novartis AG’s Sandoz unit. Strattera, known by its active ingredient atomoxetine, generated U.S. sales of $445.6 million last year as a treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Lilly said in a fourth-quarter earnings statement. The Indianapolis- based company reported $21.8 billion in total annual revenue.
Lilly’s patent on Strattera would have prevented sales of copies until May 2017. The company said after the Aug. 12 ruling that it expects “near-term entry” of generic versions and reduced its sales-growth forecast for the year to the low- to mid-single digits, from the mid-single digits.
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