Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), the world’s biggest maker of psychiatric drugs, won an appeals court ruling in its effort to block generic versions of attention-deficit treatment Strattera. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington overturned today a judge’s decision that Lilly’s patent on the medicine was invalid and remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings. The patent expires in 2017. Strattera, known by its chemical name atomoxetine hydrochloride, generated sales of $577 million last year for Indianapolis-based Lilly. The company had won an order that prevented drugmakers including Mylan Inc. and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. from entering the market with a generic version until this appeal was decided.
