Eli Lilly sues Slovenian firm over patent dispute

Eli Lilly, the world's largest maker of psychiatric medicines, sued Krka Group in a patent dispute aimed at preventing the Slovenian company from selling copies of the antipsychotic treatment Zyprexa.

Lilly, based in Indianapolis, earlier this year obtained a temporary injunction blocking Krka's sales of the copy, called Zolrix. Without the lawsuit, the ban would have been lifted, the Novo mesto, Slovenia-based drugmaker said in a filing to the local exchange.

The US drugmaker is trying to protect the world's top-selling schizophrenia treatment from generic competition. The dispute with Krka centers on Lilly's patent on the process for making olanzapine, the active ingredient in Zyprexa. Zolrix had sales of less than $154,000 in its home market last year, Krka said.

Krka said it "has strong arguments for proving the fact that does not infringe on the relevant patent.''