By The Associated Press, Associated Press
Two drugmakers say they have started selling generic versions of the antipsychotic Seroquel, days after a U.S. court dismissed a bid by British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca to extend the patent protecting its blockbuster drug.
Canonsburg, Pa.-based Mylan Inc. and Israeli drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. both say they are starting the commercial launch of quetiapine fumarate tablets.
A U.S. court on Friday dismissed AstraZeneca's bid to extend patents on the medication's active ingredient, quetiapine, and on the formula for Seroquel XR, the extended-release version. Astra Zeneca was seeking U.S. protection until December.
The Seroquel brand, AstraZeneca's No. 2 drug behind cholesterol treatment Crestor, accounted for 17 percent of the company's $33.6 billion in sales in 2011. Sales of Seroquel XR were $1.49 billion, 4.4 percent of total revenue.
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