Merck victorious in SINGULAIR patent infringement lawsuit

Merck has emerged as the victor in a lawsuit relating to a patent violation of its product SINGULAIR.

The court ruled that Teva has committed infringement as it was seeking approval from the Food and Drug Administration to sell a generic version of four, five and 10 mg SINGULAIR (montelukast sodium) tablets – Merck’s asthma and allergic rhinitis medicine.

As a result, an injunction blocking approval of Teva’s generic versions has been put in place until 2012, when Merck’s patent expires.

“We invest heavily in the research and development that is needed to discover innovative medicines like SINGULAIR, and we will vigorously defend our intellectual property rights,” explained Bruce Kuhlik, executive vice-president and general counsel for Merck.

In other news, Schering-Plough announced earlier this month that the proposed merger between itself and Merck & Co received approval from the former’s shareholders.