Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Confirms Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Patent Lawsuit

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI) today confirmed that Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Sandoz Inc. have filed suit against Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Watson on September 21, 2011 in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The suit alleges that Amphastar's Enoxaparin Sodium Injection product, which Watson has the exclusive right to distribute in the U.S. retail pharmacy channel, infringes Momenta's U.S. Patent Nos. 7,790,466 and 7,575,886. Enoxaparin Sodium Injection is a generic equivalent to Sanofi-aventis' LOVENOX®.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100121/LA41294LOGO)

Watson and Amphastar intend to vigorously defend the claims in the lawsuit. Pursuant to terms of the distribution agreement between Watson and Amphastar, Watson believes it will be fully indemnified by Amphastar for all costs, expenses and damages, if any, incurred in connection with the lawsuit.

About Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an integrated global specialty pharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of generic pharmaceuticals and specialized branded pharmaceutical products focused on Urology and Women's Health. Watson has operations in many of the world's established and growing international markets.

For press release and other company information, visit Watson Pharmaceuticals' Web site at http://www.watson.com.

About Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Inc., established in 1996, is a specialty and generic pharmaceutical company focusing on injectable, inhalation, and other categories of pharmaceutical products. Amphastar's state-of-the-art, aseptic, cGMP compliant facilities develop, manufacture, and market innovative proprietary and generic products using new technologies and delivery systems.

Forward-Looking Statement

Statements contained in this press release that refer to non-historical facts are forward-looking statements that reflect Watson's current perspective of existing information as of the date of this release. It is important to note that Watson's goals and expectations are not predictions of actual performance. Actual results may differ materially from Watson's current expectations depending upon a number of factors, risks and uncertainties affecting Watson's business. These factors include, among others, the difficulty of predicting the timing and outcome of the pending patent litigation and risks that an adverse outcome in such litigation could render Watson liable for substantial damages; the impact of competitive products and pricing; the timing and success of product launches; difficulties or delays in manufacturing; the availability and pricing of third party sourced products and materials; successful compliance with FDA and other governmental regulations applicable to Watson and its third party manufacturers' facilities, products and/or businesses; changes in the laws and regulations, including Medicare and Medicaid, affecting among other things, pricing and reimbursement of pharmaceutical products; and such other risks and uncertainties detailed in Watson's periodic public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to Watson's quarterly report on form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2011 and Watson's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Except as expressly required by law, Watson disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

LOVENOX® is a registered trademark of Sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC.

CONTACTS:

Investors:


Patty Eisenhaur


(862) 261-8141




Media:


Charlie Mayr


(862) 261-8030



SOURCE Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Back to news