I'm not personally aware of a case where a process patent prevented a generic company from launch (not to say there isn't an example though).
The other side of that issue is that we have entered an era of much more complex generics where the reverse-engineering and proving sameness may be more likely to offer patenting opportunities.
At the end of the day, I think a not unlikely outcome is that MNTA gets a couple percent royalty on sales by Amphastar and Teva if the latter ever get approval.
Perhaps, one of the patent attorneys can enlighten us as to the criteria that the courts will apply in deciding whether a patent that is infringed will be allowed to block or simply be awarded a royalty.
It should be an interesting line to draw where the infringement was essential and yet a small part of the accomplishment.
ij
PS - Unrelated. Today the 30yr T yield dropped under 3% as I said it would. (The 10yr dropped under 2% quite some time ago.)
It is astonishing what foolish things one can temporarily believe if one thinks too long alone ... where it is often impossible to bring one's ideas to a conclusive test either formal or experimental. J.M. Keynes