Teva, Mylan, Sandoz and Aurobindo hit with patent suit

Forest Laboratories, Allergan and Ironwood Pharmaceuticals have filed a complaint against Teva, Mylan, Sandoz and Aurobindo for alleged patent infringement.

The case, which was filed on Wednesday, November 30, in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, centres on the drug Linzess (linaclotide).

Linzess is a prescription drug used to treat chronic constipation, or chronic irritable bowel syndrome.

The US patents involved are numbers 7,304,036; 7,371,727; 7,704,947; 7,745,409; 8,080,526; 8,110,553; 8,748,573; 8,802,628; and 8,933,030.

The suit arose after Teva, Mylan, Sandoz and Aurobindo filed Abbreviated New Drug Applications with the Food and Drug Administration seeking to bring a generic version of Linzess to market.

Forest, Allergan and Ironwood have asked the district court for a judgment that Teva, Mylan, Sandoz and Aurobindo have infringed their patents.

They have also asked for the accused companies to be enjoined from bringing generic versions to market, or that they be awarded monetary relief if they do bring generic versions of Linzess to market.

The suing companies are also seeking to be awarded expenses.