Sankyo (TSE: 4501) announced on April 19 that it has filed a patent infringement suit against Nisshin Pharmaceutical on the same day, alleging that Nisshin Pharmaceutical has infringed upon Sankyo’s patent regarding the stability of pravastatin-containing drug. Nisshin Pharmaceutical currently manufactures and distributes “Mevalich Tablet 10" and “Mevalich Tablet 5,” generic versions of Sankyo’s lipid-lowering agent “Mevalotin.” The best-selling lipid-lowering agent in Japan, Mevalotin is a leading Sankyo drug which sold 110.7 billion yen in fiscal 2002.
