AstraZenca confirms MUPS patent is ‘valid’

AstraZeneca has confirmed that the European Patent Office (EPO) has ruled that the European patent for its MUPS formulation is still valid in its amended form.

The opposition division of the EPO came to the decision following four oppositions from generic drug manufacturers.

A host of European countries will be able to continue to market the multiple unit tablet with the original patent until 2015.

MUPS stands for multiple unit pellet tablets which comprises of a proton pump inhibitor compound – the formulation is also used for AstraZeneca’s products Nexium and Losec with the amended claims still covering these products.

AstraZeneca holds a comprehensive intellectual property portfolio which protects all MUPS formulations as well as its Nexium and Losec products.

For Nexium, the intellectual property portfolio also includes additional patents with expiration dates ranging from 2009 to 2018.

Nexium also has data exclusivity until March 2010 in most major European markets.

Earlier this month, AstraZeneca confirmed that its cholesterol drug Crestor faced a patent challenge from Canadian company Cobalt pharmaceuticals.

The Anglo-Swedish group reported that it had received a notice letter from Cobalt notifying them that it had submitted an Abbreviated New Drug Application to the US Food and Drug Administration for approval to market generic resuvastatin calcium tablets.