U.S. Appeals Court Finds AstraZeneca PLC's Seroquel XR Patent Infringed

A U.S. appeals court on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that found the formulation patent for AstraZeneca's anti-psychotic drug Seroquel XR was valid and had been infringed by Mylan Inc and other companies seeking to sell generic versions of the medicine. Without explanation, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a one-line order affirmed the decision issued by a New Jersey federal court in March. AstraZeneca has said that the judgment is limited to the U.S. market only. The ruling applies to Mylan as well as drugmakers Osmotica Pharmaceutical Corp and Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd. Seroquel XR is an extended release version of Seroquel, which is used to treat schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. Facing competition from generic forms of basic Seroquel, AstraZeneca has focused on defending its patents on the long-acting version.