Sun sued over generic Xyzal

GREENVILLE, N.C. UCB and Sepracor have sued Sun Pharmaceuticals in order to block the company from selling a generic version of the allergy drug Xyzal, according to Bloomberg.

Sun is seeking Food and Drug Administration approval to sell a generic of the once-daily tablet, which has the active ingredient levocetirizine. UCB and Sepracor said the generic version would violate a patent for a method of treating allergies with the compound. Sepracor owns the patent and licenses it to UCB.

The companies want a court to prevent Sun from getting Food and Drug Administration approval until the patent expires in September 2012. First-quarter sales of Xyzal were $27.9 million in the United States, Sanofi-Aventis said last month. Sanofi markets the drug in the U.S. and shares the profit with UCB.

UCB and Sepracor last month also sued Synthon over its FDA application to sell a generic Xyzal.