Injunction suspends QLT, Sanofi sales of Eligard in United States until TAP patent expires

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 7 - QLT Inc. announced late Monday that the Court of Appeal has informed QLT USA, Inc. that the injunction against promoting, manufacturing, selling and offering for sale Eligard has been stayed pending its decision to grant a permanent stay of the injunction.

Also, QLT's marketing partner for Eligard in the United States, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Inc., has advised QLT that it is suspending sales of Eligard in the United States until the expiry of TAP Inc.'s patent, U.S. Patent No. 4,728,721 on May 1, 2006.

Sanofi-Synthelabo had informed QLT in February that unless the court explicitly permitted the continued sale of Eligard, or a license is granted, it would elect to suspend Eligard sales in the United States until the patent expires.

On Feb. 27, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division granted an injunction enjoining QLT, Sanofi-Aventis and their subsidiaries from promoting, manufacturing, selling and offering for sale QLT USA's Eligard product in the United States until the patent expires.

QLT and Sanofi-Synthelabo said they intend to continue to vigorously defend this case and to seek an appeal of the adverse judgment in the Court of Appeals.

QLT is a Vancouver, B.C., biopharmaceutical company specializing in developing treatments for eye diseases as well as dermatological and urological conditions.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.