Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

FRX Wins Lexapro Patent Challenge

[Lexapro logs two-thirds of FRX’s product sales, so this decision was absolutely crucial to FRX’s prospects for the next six years. FRX has been criticized by some analysts for refusing to settle with TEVA, the first-to-file generic challenger, but evidently FRX knew what they were doing. FRX did settle with Alphapharm, another challenger, but Alphapharm did not have F-t-F status and hence FRX was able to buy them off very cheaply.

Expect a big pop in FRX’s share price tomorrow and a renewed focus on FRX’s respectable pipeline.]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060713/nyth158.html?.v=48

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Forest Announces Federal Court Upholds Lexapro(R) Patent

Thursday July 13, 8:05 pm ET

NEW YORK, July 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Forest Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: FRX ) said today that the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware has determined that the U.S. patent covering escitalopram, the active ingredient in Lexapro®, is both valid, enforceable and infringed by Ivax/Teva's proposed generic product, thereby confirming Forest's and Lundbeck's patent rights for Lexapro®, which expire in March 2012.

Judge Joseph J. Farnan ruled in Forest's and Lundbeck's favor in a lawsuit brought by Forest and its partner H. Lundbeck A/S of Denmark against the generic manufacturer Ivax/Teva.

The patent at issue in the U.S. lawsuit is Lexapro's patent (U.S. Patent No. Re 34,712), which is set to expire in March 2012 and covers substantially pure escitalopram.

About Forest Laboratories

Forest Laboratories (www.frx.com) is a US-based pharmaceutical company dedicated to identifying, developing, and delivering products that make a positive difference in peoples' lives. Forest Laboratories' growing product line includes Lexapro® (escitalopram oxalate), an SSRI indicated for adults for the initial and maintenance treatment of major depressive disorder and for generalized anxiety disorder; Namenda® (memantine HCl), an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease; Benicar®* (olmesartan medoxomil), an angiotensin receptor blocker, and Benicar* HCT® (olmesartan medoxomil-hydrochlorothiazide), an angiotensin receptor blocker and diuretic combination product, each indicated for the treatment of hypertension; and Campral®* (acamprosate calcium), indicated in combination with psychosocial support for the maintenance of abstinence from alcohol in patients with alcohol dependence who are abstinent at treatment initiation.
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