AstraZeneca was today hit with more bad news when the High Court ruled that its patent for schizophrenia medicine Seroquel XL was invalid in the UK.
The case was taken to court by generic drug manufacturers Teva, Accord, Intas, Hexal and Sandoz, who will now be able to produce cheap copycat versions of Seroquel XL. Last year, the pill — a slow-release version of Seroquel — bought in worldwide revenues worth $1.49 billion (£943.2 million).
The British drugmaker said it was “disappointed” with the judge’s decision, adding: “The company remains committed to defending its intellectual property protecting Seroquel XL.
“The High Court decision is limited to the UK and is not binding in other countries,” it said.
AstraZeneca is also currently taking the US Food and Drug Administration to court in an attempt to overturn a ruling that rivals can start selling generic copies of its Seroquel, its second-best-selling drug, by the end of this month. Seroquel last year accounted for 17% of all AstraZeneca’s revenues.
