Barr, Ortho-Novum reach agreement

Drug Store News, Dec 17, 2001 by Saskia De Caires

Barr Laboratories reached an out-of-court settlement with Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals concerning patents protecting its branded Ortho-Novum 7/7/7 oral contraceptive.

Under the terms of the settlement, Barr will be permitted to introduce a generic version of the drug nine months before the patent on Ortho-Novum's 7/7/7 contraceptive expires. Barr also "acknowledged its infringement of, and the validity and enforceability of, the patent claims at issue in the case." Barr stated that the settlement does not affect its other patent challenges against Ortho-McNeil's Ortho Tri-Cyclen oral contraceptive.

Barr will debut its generic Ortho-Novum 7/7/7 Jan. 1, 2003. The patent protecting the popular oral contraceptive expires in September 2003.