Indianapolis, Indiana – Patent lawyers for Eli Lilly and Company of Indianapolis, IN, have filed a lawsuit alleging Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Ltd. of Hyderabad, India, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc. of Bridgewater, NJ, will infringe Patent No. 5,464,826, titled METHOD OF TREATING TUMORS IN MAMMALS WITH 2′,2′-DIFLUORONUCLEOSIDES, as issued by the U.S. Patent Office.
The ‘826 patent covers the drug marketed under the name GEMZAR(R) for the treatment of abnormal masses of tissue known as neoplasms. The complaint states that, in a separate lawsuit, the ‘826 patent was found invalid on grounds of obviousness-type double patenting, but that Lilly has appealed to the Federal Circuit and believes the ruling will be reversed. Assuming validity, the ‘826 patent is set to expire in late 2012, and a six-month period of FDA-granted market exclusivity follows. Lilly also holds approved New Drug Application No. 20-509 for the use of GEMZAR(R) as a treatment for certain types of cancer.
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