Perrigo Confirms Filing For New Generic
Allegan-based Perrigo Co. (Nasdaq: PRGO) announced that it has filed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration an Abbreviated New Drug Application for omeprazole 20mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100mg, the generic equivalent of Zegerid OTC, and that it provided prior notice of this filing to Schering-Plough HealthCare Products Inc. a subsidiary of Merck & Co. Inc., the owner of the brand regulatory approval and the Curators of the University of Missouri, the listed patent owner.
On Sept. 20, Schering-Plough filed suit alleging patent infringement in the United States District Court of New Jersey to prevent Perrigo from proceeding with the commercialization of this product. This action formally initiates the process under the Hatch-Waxman Act.
In addition, Santarus Inc. and the Curators of the University of Missouri, licensor and owner of the patents, were joined in the lawsuits as co-plaintiffs. In connection with litigation relating to Zegerid brand prescription products, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruled in April 2010 that the same patents that are the subject of the present action were invalid due to obviousness. An appeal of that decision was filed in May 2010, and the appeal is pending.
The Perrigo product is generic equivalent to Schering-Plough's Zegerid-OTC (omeprazole 20 mg/sodium bicarbonate 1100mg) a proton pump inhibitor and antacid indicated for the treatment of frequent heartburn. Sales for the OTC brand are estimated to be approximately $60 million annualized from the most recent month, according to IRI.
Perrigo's Chairman and CEO Joseph C. Papa called the product "a great addition to our diverse offering of gastrointestinal products."
Perrigo develops, manufactures and distributes OTC and generic prescription pharmaceuticals, infant formulas, nutritional products, active pharmaceutical ingredients and pharmaceutical and medical diagnostic products. The company is the world's largest store brand manufacturer of OTC pharmaceutical products and infant formulas. The company's primary markets and locations of manufacturing and logistics operations are the United States, Israel, Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia.
More at www.perrigo.com.
