U.S. Court of Appeals Backs Validity of Lilly's Strattera Patent

Eli Lilly won an appeals court ruling in its effort to block generic versions of attention-deficit treatment Strattera.

Eli Lilly and Company, the world’s biggest maker of psychiatric drugs, announced last week that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has overturned a prior ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and has upheld the validity of the company's method-of-use patent on Strattera (atomoxetine).

In the case of Eli Lilly and Company v. Actavis Elizabeth LLC, et al, the court ruled in favor of Lilly, upholding the method-of-use patent which provides protection for Strattera through May of 2017.

"We are pleased with today's ruling from the Court of Appeals regarding Strattera's method-of-use patent and remain confident that the patent is valid and enforceable," said Robert A. Armitage, senior vice president and general counsel fo