INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eli Lilly and Company today announced that the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan has granted a motion by Sun Pharmaceuticals for partial summary judgment. The Court's ruling invalidates Lilly's '826 patent, or method-of-use patent, for Gemzar((R)) (gemcitabine HCl for injection) which had been set to expire in 2013. The ruling has no bearing on Gemzar's compound patent, which remains valid until November 2010.
Important Safety Information for GEMZAR (gemcitabine HCl for injection)
GEMZAR is indicated in combination with cisplatin (another type of chemotherapy) for the first-line treatment of patients with locally advanced (Stage IIIA or Stage IIIB) or metastatic (Stage IV or cancer that has spread) non-small cell lung cancer for whom surgery is not possible.
GEMZAR is indicated as a single agent (given alone) as the first-line treatment for patients with locally advanced (Stage II or Stage III when surgery is not an option) or metastatic (Stage IV) adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. GEMZAR is also indicated for patients previously treated with 5-FU (another type of chemotherapy).
If you are allergic to GEMZAR, tell your doctor you should not receive it. GEMZAR can suppress bone marrow function. There have been rare reports of serious kidney or liver toxicity with GEMZAR treatment, sometimes fatal. Serious lung toxicity has also been reported, sometimes fatal. If you think you are pregnant, are planning to become pregnant, or are nursing, please tell your healthcare team. GEMZAR may harm your unborn or nursing baby.
There is a risk of side effects associated with GEMZAR therapy. The most common side effects are low blood cell counts (red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets); fever; infection; hair loss; tiredness; nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea; rash; shortness of breath; muscle aches; and numbness or tingling in your toes or fingers. These are not all of the side effects of GEMZAR. If you have any side effect that bothers you or that doesn't go away, be sure to talk with your healthcare professional. Call your healthcare professional right away if you have fever or chills. These symptoms could mean you have an infection.
For more information about all of the side effects of GEMZAR, please talk with your healthcare team, see the full Prescribing Information, or call 1-800-545-5979.
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers - through medicines and information - for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com. C-LLY
Gemzar((R)) (gemcitabine HCl for injection, Lilly)
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