Business news in brief

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, December, 2006

IN THE REGION Merck sues Canadian drug firm over generic Trusopt Merck & Co. Inc. sued Canada's Apotex Inc., seeking to prevent sales of a generic form of the glaucoma treatment Trusopt. Closely held Apotex is seeking U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to sell a low-cost version of the drug.

Merck claims that a generic copy would infringe a patent on the compound. Trusopt is used to treat eye conditions called open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Trusopt and a related drug called Cosopt generated $517.8 million in sales in the first nine months of the year for Merck, Whitehouse Station, N.J. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Trenton, seeks to block Apotex from obtaining approval to sell the drug until the patent expires in 2008.- Bloomberg News Zurich...