CHENNAI: In a significant move, Swiss pharma firm Roche and India's Glenmark Pharmaceuticals have settled an out-of-court patent litigation over the former's lung cancer drug erlotinib hydrochloride sold under the brand name 'Tarceva.'
"Glenmark and Roche/OSI confirm that they have reached an agreement regarding ongoing patent disputes relating to the anti-cancer medicine Erlotinib Hydrochloride," the two companies said in a joint statement on Friday.
Roche, which was granted patent in India for erlotinib hydrochloride on Feb 23, 2007, was embroiled in patent disputes with another desi pharma firm, Cipla over Tarceva.
In November last year, Roche had successfully defended its patent in the Delhi High Court against Cipla. The court had ruled that Cipla's generic version of the drug infringed Roche's Tarceva patent.
"As part of the agreement, the companies have ceased all relevant patent litigation on this product and Glenmark has acknowledged the patent rights of Roche," it added.
Tarceva is developed and commercialised by Astellas Pharma US in partnership with Genentech in the United States, Chugai in Japan and Roche in the rest of the world. It is a once-daily, oral non-chemotherapy medicine.