Report: Pfizer, AstraZeneca file patent suits against Hetero

NEW YORK — Hetero is at the center of two patent litigation suits for attempting to market generic versions of Viagra and Nexium, according to published reports.

Pfizer filed a suit against the generic drug maker last month in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District Court of New York, pertaining to Hetero's abbreviated new drug application for a generic version of popular erectile dysfunction treatment Viagra. Meanwhile, AstraZeneca filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Hetero last week, pertaining to its blockbuster drug Nexium, designed to treat symptoms of acid reflux disease.

Patents for Viagra and Nexium disclosed in the suits will expire in 2019 and 2015, respectively.