Lilly sues Sun Pharma

Eli Lilly & Co, the world's largest maker of psychiatric medicines, sued India's Sun Pharmaceutical Industries to prevent it from selling a generic version of the hyperactivity-disorder drug, Strattera.

Lilly asked a federal judge to block the US Food and Drug Administration from granting Sun's request to sell the medicine until the patent expires in 2017, according to a complaint filed on September 20 in the US District Court in Detroit.

Strattera generated $282 million in sales for Indianapolis- based Lilly in the first two quarters of this year.

The patent covers a way to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, with atomoxetine, the key ingredient in the drug.

"Lilly will be irreparably harmed'' if the generic version isn't blocked, the company said in the complaint. In its application, Mumbai-based Sun told the FDA the patent was invalid, not infringed or unenforceable.

The suit is "a normal course of action'' for a patent challenge in the US, Uday Baldota, Sun's vice president of investor relations, said today.

Lilly shares fell 9 cents to $57.53 in the New York Stock Exchange composite trading, valuing the company at $66 billion. The shares of Sun dropped by Rs 29.8, or 3 per cent, to 949.55 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. The stock has gained 5 per cent this year.

Actavis Group Hf, a drugmaker based in Iceland, was sued in August over its application to sell generic Strattera. Novartis AG's Sandoz unit also sued Lilly in August to challenge the patent. Sandoz dropped the case on September 18.