Court upholds Lilly's patent for Cymbalta

INDIANAPOLIS — Drug maker Eli Lilly will get at least two more years of patent exclusivity on a drug used to treat depression, anxiety and pain resulting from diabetic neuropathy and fibromyalgia, thanks to a court order issued Wednesday.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana ruled to forbid Wockhardt and other generic drug companies from selling generic versions of Cymbalta (duloxetine hydrochloride) until patent protection expires, which is expected to occur in June 2013.

Cymbalta has annual sales of about $3 billion, according to Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, which won tentative approval for a generic version of the drug from the Food and Drug Administration in November 2010.