Abbott, Sanofi win US lawsuit over Glenmark's generic Tarka

Sanofi Aventis and Abbott Laboratories have won a US court jury trial to halt Glenmark Pharma's generic version of hypertension and cholesterol reducing drug Tarka. Mumbai-based Glenmark had received the US FDA's nod to market generic Tarka, a USD 60 million drug, and had notified Abbott and Sanofi. Glenmark had launched generic Tarka at risk in June after a district court judge had upheld its challenge last June in its patent tussle.

Glenmark has been ordered to pay Abbott USD 16 million in damages, out of which about USD 15.2 million were awarded by the jury for profits lost and the balance for higher prices that Abbott could have charged had the patent not been infringed upon by Glenmark. Sanofi had last year filed a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction and a motion with the Federal Court. But the court did not accept the restraining order or the preliminary injunction indicating that Glenmark had a strong case as far as this non-infringement case is concerned. The court had then said that a jury will decide on the motion in January of 2011. Glenmark is now expected to appeal to a district court judge.