Listen to this story
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now0:00
0:00
Loading audio file, please wait.
The U.S. Supreme Court allowed Eli Lilly and Co. to keep its patent on its top-selling drug Zyprexa today by denying an appeal by two generic drug makers seeking to break the patent.
Without comment, the court denied a request by units of Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Ltd. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. for the justices to force a lower appeals court to reconsider the case, Bloomberg reported.
An appeals court ruled in Lilly’s favor in December, upholding the victory the company won in spring 2005 before a federal trial judge.
Zyprexa sales totaled $4.4 billion worldwide last year. Lilly’s patent on the drug runs until 2011. The drug is used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.