The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Teva Pharmaceutical Industries still has patent protection for top-selling multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone.
A U.S. appeals court had thrown out the patent -- due to expire in September 2015 -- in 2013, but the recent Supreme Court ruling says the appeals court had not used the correct approach in analyzing the patent's validity.
The extended litigation has clearly benefited Israel-based Teva, as it continues to sell Copaxone without competition from generic drugmakers. Novartis' Sandoz unit and Mylan are both developing generic forms of Copaxone.
Last January, Teva was granted approval to switch MS patients to a new version of Copaxone that is stronger, taken less frequently and has a longer patent life.
Read the Reuters article
