US court denies Amgen's request for preliminary injunction against Cipla

Pharma major Cipla on Friday said the US District Court of Delaware has denied Amgen Inc's request for preliminary injunction to stop Cipla's continued sale of its generic cinacalcet hydrochloride tablets in the US market.

Preliminary injunction is a court order made in the early stages of a lawsuit that prohibits the parties from doing an act in order to preserve the status quo until the trial is over and the court has issued a ruling or judgment.

The company had announced a phased launch of generic cinacalcet hydrochloride tablets, used in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in adult patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis, in the US market in a regulatory filing in March this year.

The launch, however, is a subject of ongoing litigation, it had added.

"... Chief Judge Stark of the US District Court of Delaware denied Amgen, Inc's request for preliminary injunction to stop Cipla's continued sale of its generic cinacalcet hydrochloride tablets 30mg, 60mg, 90mg in the USA," Cipla said in a filing to BSE.

Cipla's cinacalcet hydrochloride tablets in the strengths of 30mg, 60mg and 90mg are generic versions of Sensipar, a branded drug marketed by Amgen Inc.

Shares of Cipla were trading at Rs 565.75 per scrip on the BSE, up 0.16 per cent from its previous close.