Nearly $1 billion in damages asserted in lawsuit over GERD drug

MUMBAI, India — A division of Pfizer is asserting that it incurred nearly $1 billion in damages related to the launch of generic versions of one of its drugs.

In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey against Sun Pharmaceutical Industries and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals said it estimated that it suffered damages of $960 million from Sun's and Teva's launches of generic versions of the gastroesophageal reflux disease drug Protonix (pantoprazole).

In 2010, the District Court had turned down an attempt by Wyeth to reverse a jury's earlier decision declaring its patent on Protonix invalid. Pfizer acquired Wyeth in 2009.

Several other companies recently have received Food and Drug Administration approval for generic versions of Protonix, including Actavis, Mylan and Dr. Reddy's.

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