AstraZeneca seeks early end to Crestor patent row

LONDON (Reuters) – AstraZeneca has filed for summary judgment in a U.S. patent dispute over its blockbuster cholesterol drug Crestor in a bid to bring the case to speedy conclusion.

The motion seeking an early resolution of the row was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware on Sept. 11, a company spokesman said on Wednesday.

Crestor sold $3.6 billion worldwide in 2008 and will become even more critical for the Anglo-Swedish company as sales of older medicines fall away -- provided its patents hold.

Patents protecting the drug are being challenged by a group of generic drugmakers in a dispute that is scheduled to go to full trial in February 2010, but AstraZeneca's lawyers hope to kill off the threat before then by securing a summary judgment.

Apotex, Aurobindo, Cobalt, Mylan, Par, Sandoz and Sun all announced in late 2007 that they planned to sell generic versions of Crestor.

They are contending that material information was omitted when the original Crestor patent was filed by AstraZeneca's partner Shionogi and that this amounted to inequitable conduct. AstraZeneca denies the charge.

AstraZeneca's action against all seven generic firms has been consolidated in the Delaware case. A subsequent challenge from Teva in June 2008 is not included.

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