Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. won a court ruling that will prevent generic versions of the schizophrenia treatment Abilify® from entering the U.S. market until April 2015. U.S. District Judge Mary L. Cooper in Trenton, New Jersey, upheld a patent that covers aripiprazole, the key ingredient in the drug. Tokyo-based Otsuka discovered Abilify®, the sixth-biggest selling drug in the U.S., and comarkets it with BMS in the U.S. and Europe. The ruling is a loss for companies seeking to sell generic versions of the medicine. To reach her decision, Judge Cooper went through the history of schizophrenia treatments and the different compounds that are on the market. “She spent a lot of time on this matter,” said James Monroe, partner at Finnegan, who represented Otsuka and said “she gave very close consideration” to the arguments presented by both sides.
