Appeals court upholds Shire's patents for Vyvanse drug

LONDON (ShareCast) - (ShareCast News) - Pharmaceuticals company Shire (Xetra: S7E.DE - news) said late on Thursday that a US court of appeals has upheld the summary judgment ruling of the US District Court for the district of New Jersey that certain claims of the patents protecting its hyperactivity drug Vyvanse are valid. Shire's lawsuit included all of the known pharmaceutical manufacturers that filed new drug applications with the US Food and Drug Administration looking to market generic versions of Vyvanse.

This included Actavis, Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc, Roxane Laboratories Inc and Sandoz Inc. Shire also named Johnson Matthey Inc - a unit of Johnson Matthey PLC (LSE: JMAT.L - news) - which is a manufacturer and supplier of the generic versions.

Shire said the ruling prevents the defendants from launching generic versions of Vyvanse until the expiration of the patents in 2023. The defendants may move for rehearing at the Federal Circuit, or may file a petition at the U.S (Other OTC: UBGXF - news) . Supreme Court.

"We are extremely pleased that the Federal Circuit affirmed the District Court's ruling that the patents are valid, which further confirms that Shire has strong patents protecting Vyvanse," said Mark Enyedy, interim general counsel at Shire.