Federal court upholds validity of Crestor patent

WILMINGTON, Del. — A federal court has ruled in favor of AstraZeneca in a case regarding a cholesterol drug, the company said.

AstraZeneca said the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruling that a patent covering the drug Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) was valid and enforceable. The patent, which expires in 2016, covers the active ingredient of Crestor.

Under the court's decision, the Food and Drug Administration can't approve generic versions of the drug made by Apotex, Aurobindo, Cobalt, Mylan, Par, Sandoz, Teva, Sun and Torrent, but those companies may seek review by the Supreme Court.

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