INDIA BUSINESS WORLD - 16^th SEP - TO - 15^th OCT - 2009

US-BASED DRUG-DISCOVERY FIRM ALBANY MOLECULAR RESEARCH INC (AMRI) FILES PATENT CASES AGAINST DR REDDY’S LABORATORIES (DRL) AND SANOFI AVENTIS

NYSE-listed Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL) is embroiled in a fresh patent infringement row with US-based drug-discovery firm Albany Molecular Research Inc (AMRI). Nasdaq-listed AMRI has announced that it has filed two new patent infringement lawsuits against DRL and French drug-maker Sanofi Aventis for marketing a copycat version of fexofenadine, the active ingredient in Allegra used to cure allergies.

Both DRL and Sanofi are understood to have sought or have obtained approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to market a generic version of fexofenadine. “We believe this patent infringement filing strengthens our litigation strategy on Allegra against these generic drug companies in the US and other jurisdictions,” Thomas D’Ambra, CEO of AMRI said in a statement. In November 2008, AMRI announced a settlement of two US patent infringement suits. The agreements allowed Sanofi to sublicense two Allegra patents to Teva Pharmaceuticals and Barr Laboratories in the United States. AMRI now gets royalties on the sale of generic Allegra products by Teva and Barr.