Court rules in favor of Watson in generic Fentora patent suit

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — A generic painkiller made by Watson Pharmaceuticals does not infringe on the patent covering the branded version, a U.S. District Court has ruled.

Watson said the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruled that Watson’s generic version of Cephalon’s Fentora (fentanyl buccal tablets) does not infringe on two patents that were set to expire in March 2019, according to Food and Drug Administration records.

The FDA already had approved Watson’s version of the drug, though a third patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,264,981, remains in effect, preventing Watson’s launch of the drug.