Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has been granted approval to restart selling its copycat version of Novartis’ Famvir for herpes in the USA and has made a pact with GlaxoSmithKline to sell a generic of the diabetes drug Avandia in 2012.
Regarding its generic version of Famvir (famciclovir), the Israeli firm states that the US appeals court for the federal circuit has denied the emergency motion filed by Novartis for an injunction pending its appeal of a ruling at the beginning of September by a court in New Jersey which backed Teva and the firm can start selling the drug again. The Jerusalem-headquartered group had already started shipments of famciclovir tablets before the court called a temporary halt just hours later after Novartis filed an emergency motion. The Swiss firm brought a patent infringement suit against Teva in April 2005 and a trial date for the case has still not been set.
Lawsuit with GSK settled
News of the Famvir decision came just after Teva revealed that it has settled a lawsuit with GSK, which allows it to sell generic Avandia (rosiglitazone) in the first quarter of 2012. The case revolved around the UK drug major’s decision to sue Teva in 2005 over alleged infringements of its rosiglitazone patents which it was claimed provide cover up to 2015 but this has now been resolved and the Israeli drugmaker has been granted a licence to market its generic versions of Avandia, Avandamet (rosiglitazone and metformin) and Avandaryl (rosiglitazone and glimepiride). Terms of the settlement are confidential, Teva said.
