PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Generic drug maker Mylan Inc. said Wednesday it is being sued by Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo for patent infringement on blood pressure drug Azor.
Mylan said Daiichi Sankyo filed the suit in a New Jersey federal court Tuesday against its India-based unit Matrix Laboratories Ltd., citing Matrix's application earlier this year with the Food and Drug Administration to sell a generic version of Azor.
Mylan said it believes Matrix is the first company to file an application with a Paragraph IV certification, which is used to challenge an existing patent in a move to market a generic version of a drug. If the agency approves the filing, Matrix is entitled to 180 days of marketing exclusivity for Azor.
Azor, which was approved in September, had sales of $22 million for its fiscal 2007 ended March 31, 2008.
