22 July 2016Americas

AstraZeneca sues Aurobindo for patent infringement of heartburn drug

AstraZeneca is suing Aurobindo Pharma for allegedly infringing a patent covering its drug Nexium (esomeprazole).

AstraZeneca filed the complaint on Wednesday, July 20, in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey. It has accused Aurobindo of infringing two patents, US numbers 6,369,085 and 7,411,070.

Nexium is an over-the-counter drug approved to treat heartburn.

The dispute arose after the generic company filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application at the US Food and Drug Administration in which it sought approval to market a generic version of the drug.

Aurobindo notified AstraZeneca of its application on June 6.

Both AstraZeneca’s pa tents covering the drug will expire on May 25, 2018, but an extension due to pediatric exclusivity stretches the expiry date until November 25, 2018.