Natco won patent case against Israeli firm Teva

Hyderabad-based Natco Pharmaceuticals won a patent case against Teva Pharmaceuticals of Israel on 3 March 2014.

The decision would allow Natco to launched generic version of multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) in the U.S.A.

The Delhi High Court dismissed Teva’s suit on 28 February 2014 which had sought an injunction over marketing a generic version of its drug in the USA by Natco.

Teva does not have a patent on the drug in India, and was seeking an injunction to prevent Natco from exporting the drug. In the USA, the patent on the drug would expire on 24 May 2014.

Natco has been selling the generic version of Copaxone in India since 2007.  Natco planned to market it with U.S. based pharma giant Mylan with whom it has a global marketing alliance since 2008.

Natco took on big global pharma in the past having won a case against Novartis for its blood cancer drug, Glivec and also receiving India’s first compulsory license (CL) on the kidney cancer drug Nexavar made by Bayer.

About Copaxone

Glatiramer acetate (also known as Copolymer 1, Cop-1, or Copaxone - as marketed by Teva Pharmaceuticals) is an immunomodulator drug currently used to treat multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS), also known as disseminated sclerosis or encephalomyelitis disseminata, is an inflammatory disease in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged.

This damage disrupts the ability of parts of the nervous system to communicate, resulting in a wide range of signs and symptoms, including physical, mental, and sometimes psychiatric problems.