The court, however, did not order Apotex to recall products already sold or shipped.
Plavix is a therapeutic designed to help prevent strokes or heart attacks by keeping platelets in the blood from sticking together and forming clots.
The order was entered in connection with the patent infringement lawsuit pending among the parties relating to the validity of a composition of matter patent for the generic drug. On August 8, 2006, Apotex announced that it had launched a generic version of Plavix.
The court has ordered the companies to post a bond in the amount of $400 million to provide security to Apotex should the court conclude at the end of the patent litigation that the injunction was wrongly imposed. The injunction will remain in effect until the pending patent infringement lawsuit is resolved.
Sanofi-Aventis said that it continues to believe that the Apotex generic product infringes their intellectual property rights, which are currently the subject of the pending patent litigation. The company intends to continue to vigorously defend their patent rights against infringement. A trial has been scheduled for January 22, 2007.