Novartis receives Famvir boost

Novartis has announced that the US federal appeals court has temporarily blocked Teva Pharmaceuticals from selling a generic form of the Famvir drug.

The Swiss company holds valid US patents for the antiviral medicine until 2015 and Novartis filed an application to prevent the sale of Teva’s generic version on the back of this.

An order was issued by the US court of appeals for the federal circuit on Friday requiring Teva to submit a response by Tuesday September 11th.

According to Novartis, if it is successful in any case against Teva – for which a trial date has not been set – the latter “risks potentially significant damages”.

Israel-based Teva Pharmaceuticals is one of the top 20 pharmaceutical companies in the world according to the company’s website, with 75 per cent of its sales in Europe and north America.

Novartis said that the Teva generic version of Famvir was launched “at risk” as patient litigation was ongoing.