U.S. court of appeals ruling could clear barrier to generic OxyContin

A federal court of appeals dominated weekday that four patents associated with Purdue Pharma's medicinal drug OxyContin area unit invalid, probably transfer Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd et al. a step nearer to introducing generic versions of the drug.

Privately owned , Connecticut-based Purdue had sued Teva, Amneal prescribed drugs, Epic drug company and a U.S. arm of Mylan Silver State once they sought-after approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to create generic OxyContin.

Monday's ruling by the Federal U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld earlier orders from a judicature decide in favor of the generic drugmakers.

Purdue aforementioned during a statement that it had been reviewing the choice and considering what to try and do next.

"Despite the court's ruling, Purdue has many alternative patents protective OxyContin, and that we don't anticipate generic makers commerce the merchandise within the close to future," it said.

Representatives of the generic drugmakers couldn't now be reached for comment.

Currently, the sole generic versions of OxyContin on the market area unit questionable "authorized generics," that area unit precise copies of the brand-name version licensed by Purdue.

Three of the patents Purdue sought-after to enforce in its lawsuits area unit associated with associate degree improved formulation of oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin.

The other patent describes technology designed to stop abuse of the drug by creating it tough to crush and inflicting it to make a gel once dissolved in water so it can not be injected. Purdue authorised that technology from German pharmaceutical firm Grunenthal GmbH, that is additionally a complainant within the proceeding.

Purdue's proceeding against Teva visited a non-jury trial before U.S. District decide poet Stein in Manhattan in 2013. In Gregorian calendar month 2014, Stein aforementioned that the patents were invalid as a result of they didn't add enough to what was already best-known.

Stein afterwards pink-slipped the lawsuits against Mylan, Amneal and Epic likewise, since they were supported a similar patents. Purdue appealed all four cases to the Federal Circuit.

The case is Grunenthal GmbH et al v Teva prescribed drugs USA Iraqi National Congress, U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, No. 2014-1311.