US District Court rules in favor of Lilly's Alimta patent

Eli Lilly and Co said a U.S. District Court ruled in favor of its patent on Alimta vitamin regimen and prevented Hospira Inc and India’s Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories from launching generics until the patent expires.

The patent for Lilly’s top-selling cancer drug will expire in May 2022.

“Lilly’s extensive research to discover the Alimta vitamin regimen patent deserves intellectual property protection,” Lilly’s senior vice president Michael Harrington said in a statement.

Lilly has faced several legal challenges to its right to avoid generic competition for Alimta, whose chemical name is pemetrexed.