AstraZeneca sues to protect Seroquel rights

[March 13, 2012]  LONDON (AP) -- Drugmaker AstraZeneca has filed a suit in the United States that seeks to extend its exclusive rights on some forms of its antidepressant drug Seroquel until December.

The Anglo-Swedish company said Tuesday that it had filed its suit in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

The suit seeks to overturn a ruling last week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that generic copies of the drug would not have to carry the same warnings about possible side effects -- including suicidal thoughts and elevated blood sugar -- that were required of AstraZeneca.

The patent on the active ingredient in Seroquel and Seroquel XR expired in September.

Seroquel was AstraZeneca's second-best-selling product and the fifth-biggest seller in the United States.

[Associated Press]

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