Companies sue over generic Prevacid SoluTab

Ethypharm, Takeda, and TAP Pharmaceuticals are suing Barr Pharmaceuticals for patent infringement. The suit is over Barr's plan to market a generic version of Prevacid SoluTab tablets, the popular delayed-release heartburn drug that dissolves without water. The drug had sales of over $400 million in the last year in the U.S. alone.

Barr went to the Food and Drug Administration to request approval of a generic version of Prevacid late last year, but the plaintiffs are hoping to block the approval, which they claim violate patents set to expire in 2012 and 2019.  At the same time, Barr shares appear to be on a downward trend, falling 34 cents on Tuesday. Takeda stock also fell in Japan.

- see the story [1] at Forbes
- find out more [2] at CNN Money

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