Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. started selling a generic version of a popular birth control pill Ortho-Tri-Cyclen patented by Johnson and Johnson, under the name Tri-Lo Sprintec, earlier this month after gaining FDA approval. In response, Johnson & Johnson sued Teva for patent infringement and Teva halted shipments and will make a royalty payment to Johnson & Johnson in return for a release. The size of the payment has not been disclosed, but will apparently only enter effect if a court enters a judgment upholding Johnson & Johnson’s patents, which are scheduled to expire in 2019. The U.S. sales of the drug are about $400 million a year. That’s a lot of pills.
The IP Factor
Opinionated Intellectual Property News Blog with an Israel Slant
Michael Factor
