DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
Impax Laboratories Inc. (IPXL) reached a settlement in a U.S.
patent lawsuit filed by Astellas Pharma Inc. (ALPMY, 4503.TO) and
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, allowing it to begin selling generic
Flomax capsules one month before Astellas' patent protection ends
in April.
Other terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Impax, which on Monday received tentative U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for its generic version of the urinary disorder
treatment, entered a consent judgment confirming the validity and
infringement of the patent at the crux of the suit.
Tokyo-based Astellas last month was granted pediatric
exclusivity status for its Flomax by the FDA, effectively extending
the drug's patent life by six months to April. Boehringer, based in
Germany, markets Flomax in the U.S.
Health-information company Wolter Kluwer Health said U.S. sales
of Flomax were about $1.9 billion in the 12 months ended Aug. 31,
according to Impax Labs.
Impax shares closed Tuesday at $9.81 and didn't trade
premarket.
-By Tess Stynes, Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2481;
tess.stynes@dowjones.com