Dr Reddy's to get generic rights as Glaxo settles Imitrex patent row

Mumbai: Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd (DRL) may get exclusive distribution rights for the generic version of GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Imitrex tablets in the United States following the settlement of a legal dispute.

DRL said the Glaxo drug, used to treat migraines, had US sales of $890 million in the year to June 2006.The generic drug is likely to be launched in the last quarter of 2008, ahead of the expiry of the patent in February 2009, it said.

DRL expects to get a good market share in the US, as "It is the first who files, and the first who markets, who gains the most."  The drug has also an active profit potential, the company said.

Imitrex is one among several Glaxo drugs set to lose patent protection. Others facing generic competition include anti-nausea drug Zofran and antidepressant Wellbutrin XL. Glaxo is pinning hopes on new medicines such as cervical cancer vaccine Cervarix and breast cancer pill Tykerb, set for launch next year, to help fill the sales gap.

The deal with Dr Reddy's follows a trend among big drug companies to authorise launch of generics when their medicines lose patent protection.