Teva settles patent dispute with Amgen

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Generic drug maker Teva recently admitted that one of its drugs infringes two of Amgen's patents.

The U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania has barred Teva from selling its human G-CSF (human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor) product Neutroval in the United States until Nov. 10, 2013. What's more, the court's injunction extends to Teva's other human G-CSF product, Neugranin. Teva will not sell Neugranin until Nov. 10, 2013, unless it first obtains a final court decision that Amgen's patents are not infringed by Neugranin.

The two patents at issue in the litigation, U.S. Patent Nos. 5,580,755 and 5,582,823, expire in early December 2013.

"We are very pleased with this outcome, as it reaffirms the validity of these important patents," Amgen SVP general counsel and secretary David Scott said. "This closes this matter and allows Amgen to continue to focus on bringing innovative therapies to patients with grievous illnesses."

Human G-CSF is a hormone designed to stimulate the bone marrow to produce granulocytes and stem cells.