Teva sued over weight-loss generic

US-based biopharmaceutical company Arena Pharmaceuticals and Eisai, a drugs company based in Japan, have filed a complaint against Teva for patent infringement over a weight-loss generic drug.

The case, which was filed on Monday, March 6 at the US District Court for the District of Delaware, arose after Teva filed an Abbreviated New Drug Application.

Teva was allegedly seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to market a generic version of Belviq XR (lorcaserin hydrochloride), a weight-loss drug.

The patents involved are US numbers 6,953,787; 7,514,422; 7,977,329; 8,207,158; 8,273,734; 8,546,379; 8,575,149; 8,999,970; and 9,169,213.

Arena owns the patents-in-suit and Eisai is an exclusive licensee marketing and selling the drug in the US.

The companies have asked the district court to enter a judgment that Teva has infringed the patents.

“Plaintiffs will be irreparably harmed by Teva’s infringing activities unless those activities are enjoined by this court,” said the claim.

The companies have also asked the court for Teva to be permanently enjoined from bringing the generic to market, as well as an award for costs .