Indian drug maker to launch anti-anxiety drug in USA

Hyderabad, Apr 18 (PTI) An Indian drug maker, based in
the south Indian city of Hyderabad, is planning to launch a
generic anti-anxiety drug in United States in the coming June.
Though the company is not ready to disclose the exact
details, sources close to the company said Aurobindo Pharma
may launch a generic version of Effexor tablets soon.
Aurobindo recently settled a patent infringement case
with Wyeth Pharmaceutical for Effexor (Venlafaxine) tablets.
"All the legal issues over the patent infringement have been
settled with Wyeth. We are planning to launch the drug on June
1," sources told PTI.
Aurobindo Pharma has received final approval for its
Venlafaxine Extended Release Capsules from the US FDA. These
capsules are prescribed for treatment of major depressive
disorder and falls under Neurological therapeutic category.
The product has a market size of approximately USD 2.4
billion for the twelve months ended September 2010, Aurobindo
said.
The US pharma major on April 22 last year filed a patent
infringement suit against Aurobindo in the District Court of
New Jersey over latter's proposed copycat versions of
blockbuster drug, Effexor, generically known as Venlafaxine.
Patents for Effexor will expire in September 2017.
Sources said the settlement with Wyeth is in line with
that of generic drug makers like Teva and Lupin.