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Ranbaxy sees US generic Augmentin sales from Dec

Top drugmaker by sales, Ranbaxy Laboratories, said on Friday it is confident it can start selling a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline's blockbuster antibiotic Augmentin in the United States from December.

Ranbaxy said it would benefit from a US district court's ruling on Wednesday in favour of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries in the Israeli company's bid to market generic Augmentin in the United States in 2002.

"We were in court together with Teva as a plaintiff in the case against GlaxoSmithKline," Ranbaxy's chief financial officer Vinay Kaul told Reuters from New Delhi.

"We are awaiting marketing approvals from the United States Food and Drug Administration for the 250 mg and 500 mg tablets of the drug, and barring unforeseen circumstances, should get the nod in time for a launch once the GSK's patent expires in December."

Augmentin is GSK's second-largest product, with worldwide sales of more than $2 billion in 2001.

TUSSLE OVER AUGMENTIN

GSK holds several patents on Augmentin, expiring over 16 years.

A judge in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled on Wednesday that three patents expiring in 2017 were invalid, GSK said.

In December, the same judge ruled that an Augmentin patent expiring in 2018 was invalid, but a patent expiring in December 2002 was valid.

But GSK said it believes its patents covering Augmentin are valid and expects to appeal the rulings.

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