Forest Laboratories gets patent extension for Lexapro

The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has extended Forest Laboratories’ patent on Lexapro for over five years.

Lexapro is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) used to treat generalised anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder. Forest said that H Lundbeck, which it licences Lexapro, received the confirmation for patent number 34,712, concerning Lexapro’s composition.

An extension was granted to Forrest for 828 days, granting the company exclusivity on Lexapro until September 14th 2011. A paediatric indication, which had been given an additional six months exclusivity, will mean Forest’s full hold on the drug will not expire until March 14th 2012.

In other news, Forest and Replidyne announced at the end of February that its drug faropenem medoxomil has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for review.

The companies submitted a new drug application (NDA) for the broad-spectrum antibiotic on December 20th 2005, using the data of 11 phase III clinical studies.

The applied-for indication included permission to treat community-acquired pneumonia, acute exacerbated chronic bronchitis and uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections. Further studies into paediatric indications are currently being conducted.

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