Merck Wins Singulair Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Teva

Merck has reported that the US District Court for the District of New Jersey has ruled in it’s favor in a patent infringement suit against Teva.

Teva was seeking FDA approval to sell a generic version of 4, 5 and 10mg tablets of Singulair (montelukast sodium), Merck’s asthma and allergic rhinitis medicine.

Reportedly, Judge Garrett Brown upheld Merck’s patent on Singulair and ruled that Teva committed infringement. Judge Brown also issued an injunction blocking the approval of Teva’s generic versions until the August 2012 expiration of the patent.

Bruce Kuhlik, executive vice president and general counsel of Merck, said: The court appropriately ruled that the patent for Singulair in the US is valid. We invest heavily in the R&D that is needed to discover innovative medicines like Singulair, and we will vigorously defend our intellectual property rights.