FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 29, 2012
Contact: James B. Monroe, 202.408.4159
Partner
Pronova Prevails in U.S. Lovaza® Patent Litigation
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruled on May 29, 2012, in favor of Finnegan client Pronova BioPharma Norge AS in its patent litigations against Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. and Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc. regarding their efforts to obtain FDA approval to market generic copies of Lovaza®. The District Court held that the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 5,656,667 and U.S. Patent No. 5,502,077 are valid and enforceable, thus maintaining patent protection for Lovaza® in the United States until at least April of 2017. The District Court also held that the proposed generic products infringe these patent claims. Lovaza® is prescribed as an adjunct to diet to reduce triglyceride levels in adult patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia, with over $900 million in U.S. sales in 2011. Pronova markets this product in the U.S. with GlaxoSmithKline, which was not a party to these litigations.
Pronova previously filed a similar action against Apotex Corp. and Apotex Inc., which the parties settled in March of 2011.
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With more than 375 intellectual property lawyers, Finnegan is one of the largest IP law firms in the world. From offices in Washington, DC; Atlanta, Georgia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Palo Alto, California; Reston, Virginia; Brussels, Belgium; Shanghai, China; Taipei, Taiwan; and Tokyo, Japan, the firm practices all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including counseling, prosecution, licensing, and litigation. Finnegan also represents clients on IP issues related to international trade, portfolio management, the Internet, e-commerce, government contracts, antitrust, and unfair competition. For additional information on the firm, please visit www.finnegan.com. ###
