Forest Laboratories and Lundbeck sue Caraco

Forest Laboratories and Lundbeck have said they have filed lawsuits against Caraco Pharmaceuticals over the patents for escitalopram, an antidepressant.

Caraco has applied to the FDA for a new drug application for escitalopram, a drug developed by Lundbeck and branded as Cipralex in Europe and Lexapro in the US, where it is marketed by Forest.

This action prompted Forest and Lundbeck to file lawsuits against Caraco, in order to prevent a generic version of escitalopram being marketed in the US.

Howard Solomon, chairman and chief executive of Forest, remarked: “We believe the patent on Lexapro is valid and enforceable.”

“Just as we did in our prior patent litigations against Ivax Pharmaceuticals and Alphapharm, we intend to prosecute this lawsuit vigorously,” he added.

In March, Forest announced that the US Patent Office approved an 828-day patent extension to Lexapro, meaning the patent will expire in September 2011.

Reuters reports that Forest is also suing Teva, the generics company, as it has also applied to produce Lexapro. Lundbeck, the Danish pharmaceutical company, stands to lose royalties for the drug it developed if generic versions of escitalopram are approved in the US.

Forest reported that sales for Lexapro increased by 16 per cent during the last quarter, up to $464 million. Cipralex is Lundbeck’s largest-selling drug, which brought in 243 million pounds worth of revenues – an increase of 56 per cent in local currency terms.

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